IMAGE  EVALUATION 
TEST  TARGET  (MT-3} 


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K<^1 


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1.0 


1.1 


■tt  Ui   |22 

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6" 


HiotogFat^c 

Sdmoes 

Corporation 


23  WIST  MAIN  iTIHT 

WIBSTII,N.Y.  M5M 

(716)t7a-4S03 


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^ ,»!« 


A* 


k 


CIHM/ICMH 

Microfiche 

Series. 


CIHM/ICIVIH 
Collection  de 
microfiches. 


Canadian  Institute  for  Historical  l\Microreproductions  /  Institut  Canadian  de  microreproductions  historiques 


Technical  and  Bibliographic  Notaa/Notat  tachniquaa  at  bibliographiquaa 


Tha  inatituta  haa  attamptad  to  obtain  tha  baat 
original  copy  availabki  for  filming.  Faaturaa  of  thia 
copy  which  may  ba  bibiiographicaliy  unlqua, 
which  may  attar  any  of  tha  imagaa  In  tha 
raproduction,  or  which  may  aignlficantly  changa 
tha  uaual  mathod  of  filming,  ara  chackad  balow. 


D 


a 


n 


D 


Colourad  covara/ 
Couvartura  da  coulaur 


r~l   Covara  damagad/ 


Couvartura  andommagte 

Covara  raatorad  and/or  laminatad/ 
Couvartura  raataurte  at/ou  pailiculAa 

Covar  titia  miaaing/ 

La  titra  da  couvartura  manqua 


r~^   Colourad  mapa/ 


Cartaa  gtegraphiquaa  an  coulaur 


□   Colourad  ink  (i.a.  othar  than  biua  or  black)/ 
Encra  da  coulaur  (i.a.  autra  qua  blaua  ou  noira) 

I     I   Colourad  piataa  and/or  illuatrationa/ 


Planchaa  at/ou  iiluatrations  an  coulaur 


Bound  with  othar  matariai/ 
Rail*  avac  d'autraa  documanta 


Tight  binding  may  cauaa  shadowa  or  diatortion 
along  intarior  margin/ 

Larallura  aarrAa  paut  cauaar  da  I'ombra  ou  da  la 
diatortion  la  long  da  la  marga  int^riaura 

Blank  laavaa  addad  during  raatoration  may 
appaar  within  tha  taxt.  Whanavar  poaaibia,  thaaa 
hava  baan  omittad  from  filming/ 
11  aa  paut  qua  cartainaa  pagaa  blanchaa  aJoutAas 
lora  d'umi  raatauration  apparaiaaant  dana  la  taxta, 
mala,  loraqua  caia  Atait  poaaibia,  cas  pagaa  n'ont 
paa  4tA  filmAaa. 

Additional  commanta:/ 
Commantairaa  aupplAmantairas.- 


L'Inatitut  a  microfilm*  la  maillaur  axamplai«'a 
qu'il  iui  a  At*  poaaibia  da  aa  procurar.  Laa  d6taiia 
da  cat  axamplaira  qui  aont  paut-Atra  uniquaa  du 
point  da  vua  bibliographiqua,  qui  pauvant  modifiar 
una  imaga  raproduita.  ou  qui  pauvant  axigar  una 
modification  dana  la  mithoda  normala  da  f ilmaga 
aont  indiquto  ci-daaaoua. 


|~n   Colourad  pagaa/ 


D 


Thia  itam  ia  filmad  at  tha  raductioii  ratio  chackad  balow/ 

Ca  documant  aat  film*  au  taux  da  reduction  indiqu*  ci-daaaoua. 


Pagaa  da  coulaur 

Pagaa  damagad/ 
Pagaa  andommagAaa 


□   Pagaa  raatorad  and/or  laminatad/ 
Pagaa  raatauriaa  at/ou  palliculAaa 

0   Pagaa  diacolourad,  atainad  or  foxad/ 
Pagaa  d*color*aa,  tachatAaa  ou  piqut 


Pagaa  d*color*aa,  tachatAaa  ou  piquAaa 

Pagaa  datachad/ 
Pagaa  d*tach*aa 

Showthroughy 
Tranaparanca 

Quality  of  prir 

Quality  intgaia  da  I'impraaaion 

Inciudaa  aupplamantary  matarii 
Comprand  du  material  aupplimantaira 

Only  adition  avaiiabia/ 
Sauia  Mition  diaponibia 


I     I  Pagaa  datachad/ 

r^  Showthrough/ 

I     I  Quality  of  print  variaa/ 

I     I  Inciudaa  aupplamantary  material/ 

I — I  Only  adition  avaiiabia/ 


Pagaa  wholly  or  partially  obscured  by  errata 
alips,  tiaauaa,  etc.,  hava  been  ref limed  to 
enaura  tha  baat  poaaibia  image/ 
Lea  pagaa  totalement  ou  partiellement 
obacurciea  par  un  fauillet  d'errata,  una  pelure, 
etc.,  ont  M  fiimAea  A  nouveau  da  fapon  A 
obtenir  la  meilleure  image  possible. 


10X 

14X 

18X 

22X 

26X 

30X 

/ 

12X 

16X 

20X 

a4x 

28X 

32X 

Th«  copy  film«d  htra  hat  b««n  raproduciMl  thanks 
to  tho  gonoroolty  of: 

Library  off  tha  Public 
Archives  off  Canada 


L'axamplaira  filmA  fut  raproduit  grica  A  la 
g4n4roalt«  da: 

La  bibliothAqua  das  Archive* 
pubiiquat  du  Canada 


Tha  imagas  appearing  hara  ara  tha  baat  quality 
posaibia  conaidaring  tha  condition  and  legibility 
of  the  original  copy  and  in  Iceeping  with  the 
ffiiming  contract  spacifficationa. 


Original  copiaa  in  printed  paper  covers  are  fllmed 
beginning  with  the  front  cover  and  ending  on 
the  laat  page  with  a  printed  or  illustrated  impres- 
sion, or  the  back  cover  when  eppropriate.  All 
other  original  copies  are  filmed  beginning  on  the 
first  page  with  e  printed  or  illustrated  impres- 
sion, and  ending  on  tlie  last  page  with  e  printed 
or  illustrated  impression. 


Les  imagea  suivantee  ont  M  reproduites  avac  ie 
plus  grand  aoin,  compta  tenu  de  la  condition  at 
da  la  nattetA  de  i'exemplaire  film*,  et  en 
conformity  evec  les  conditions  du  contrat  de 
filmege. 

Lee  exemplaires  originaux  dont  la  couverture  en 
pepier  eat  ImprimAa  sent  ffiimte  sn  commenpant 
par  la  premier  plat  et  en  terminent  soit  par  la 
darnlAre  page  qui  comporte  une  empreinte 
d'impression  ou  d'illustration.  soit  par  ie  second 
plat,  salon  la  cas.  Tous  las  autres  exemplaires 
originaux  sent  ffiimis  en  commenpant  par  ie 
premlAre  page  qui  comporte  une  empreinte 
d'impreaaion  ou  d'illustration  et  en  terminent  par 
ia  darnlAre  page  qui  comporte  une  telCo 
empreinte. 


The  last  recorded  fframa  on  each  microfiche 
shall  contain  the  symbol  — »>  (meaning  "CON- 
TINUED"), or  the  symbol  V  (meaning  "END"), 
whichever  applies. 


Un  das  symboies  suivants  apparattra  sur  la 
darnlAre  image  de  cheque  microfiche,  seion  Ie 
ces:  Ie  symbols  — ►  signifie  "A  SUIVRE",  Ie 
symbols  y  signifie  "FIN". 


Maps,  plates,  charts,  etc.,  may  l»e  filmed  at 
different  reduction  ratios.  Those  too  large  to  be 
entirely  included  in  onw  exposure  are  filmed 
iBeginning  in  the  upper  left  hand  comer,  left  to 
right  end  top  to  bottom,  as  many  frames  es 
required.  The  following  diagrams  illustrate  the 
method: 


Les  cartes,  planches,  tableeux,  etc.,  peuvent  Atru 
filmte  i  dee  taux  ds  rMuction  diffffArents. 
Lorsque  ie  document  est  trop  grand  pour  Atre 
reproduit  en  un  seul  clichi,  11  est  ffiim*  A  psrtir 
de  I'angle  supArieur  gauche,  de  gauche  A  droite, 
et  de  haut  en  bas,  an  prenant  ia  nombrt 
d'images  nAcessaire.  Les  diagrammes  suivants 
illustrent  Ie  mAthode. 


1 

2 

3 

1 

2 

3 

4 

5 

6 

1?. 


I  I 


UTTrn 


37th  Congress,  ) 
2d  Session.       ) 


HOUSE  OF  REPRESENTATIVES. 


(  Ex.  Doc. 
)  No.  14G. 


RELATIONS  BETWEEN  THE   UNITED    STATES  AND  NORTH- 
WEST MJiriTSTI  AMERICA. 


LETTER 


FROM 


■••;!., 


THE  SECRETARY  OF  THE  TREASURY, 


IN   ANSWER  TO 


A  resolution  i}f  the  House  of  20th  May  last  on  the  subject  of  relatiorf'  with 
Northwest  British  America,  " particalarlij  the  cc?itral  districts  of  ti<  Red 
River  of  the  North  and  the  Saskatchewan." 


July  )  1,  1862. — Laid  on  the  ttible,  and  ordered  to  be  printed. 


0 


Treasury  Department,  Jmwc  20,  1862. 

Sir  :  I  have  the  honor  to  acknowledge  the  receipt  of  a  resolution  adopted 
by  the  Hou.se  of  Representatives  on  the  20th  day  of  May,  1862,  in  the  follow- 
ing words : 

"  Resolved,  That  the  Secretary  of  the  Treasury  be,  and  he  hen'by  is, 
requeste^^  to  communicate  to  this  House  any  information  in  the  possession  of 
his  department  which  he  may  judge  to  be  in  a  form  suitable  for  the  consid-^ra- 
tion  of  the  House  of  Representatives  upon  the  relations  between  the  United 
States  and  Northwest  British  America,  particularly  the  central  districts  of  the 
Red  River  of  the  North  and  the  Saskatchewan." 

•  In  compliance  with  the  spirit  and  terms  of  this  resolution,  I  have  caused  to 
be  prepared  an  abstract  of  the  reports  of  James  W.  Taylor,  (;sq.,  sj)Lcial  agent 
of  the  Treasury  Department,  and  of  other  papers  on  file  relating  to  the  subject; 
which  abstract,  together  with  the  papers  referred  to,  I  have  the  lioncr  to  trans- 
mit herewith. 

With  great  respect,  yours,  &c.,  -- 

S.  P.  CHASE. 
Hon.  Gall'sha  A,  Grow,  «. 

;io  Speaker  of  the  House  of  Representatives.        ■■  '%k  •  .j    'x 


•» . 


•*•,.    X 


^  >^  , 


( 


p 


I 


RELATIONS   BETWEEN   THE   UNITED   STATES 


ABSTRACT  OF  THE  REPORTS  OF  JAMES  W.  TAYLOR,  SPECIAL  ACiEST,  AND 
OF  OTHER  PAPERS  ON  FILE  IN  THE  TREASURY  DEPARTMENT,  BEARING 
UPON  THE  RELATIONS  OF  I'HE  UNITED  8TA1 ES  AND  NORTHWEST  BRITISH 
AMERICA,  AND  PARTICULARLY  OF  THE  RED  RIVER  OF  THE  NORTH,  AND 
THE  SASKATCHEWAN. 

EXPLANATORY    hKMARKS. 

The  information  about  to  be  given  is  compiled  from  the  communications  of 
James  W.  Taylor,  esq.,  special  agent  of  this  department.  It  has  been  found 
advisable  to  present  the  subject-matter  of  this  reply  in  the  form  of  a  synoptical 
index,  arranged  in  chronological  order. 

For  facility  of  reference,  a  compendious  system  of  classification  is  adopted, 
which  it  is  believed  will  materially  abridge  the  labor  of  investigation. 

The  original  papers  of  Mr.  Taylor  ai'e  suffixed  in  the  form  of  an  appendix. 

The  resolutioiLi  of  the  House,  of  the  20tli  ultimo,  is  indorsed  in  appendix  as 
Exhibit  A. 

The  instructions  of  this  department  to  Mr.  Taylor  to  proceed  to  the  comple- 
tion of  his  report. — Exhibit  B. 

Mr.  Taylor's  two  letters  of  July  10,  1861.— Exhibits  Co,  Cft. 

The  report  of  July  17,  1861,  "in  reference  to  gold  being  found  on  the  Sas- 
katchewan river." — Exhibit  D. 

TliQ  letter  of  November  8,  1861,  on  the  "  operation  of  the  Canadian  reci- 
procity treaty." — Exhibit  E. 

The  letter  of  December  17,  1861.— Exhibit  F  a.  . 

"  Geographical  Memoir." — Exhibit  G. 

The  letter  (just  received)  of  June  12.— Exhibit  F  b. 

The  map  (prepared  especially  for  this  synopsis)  which  will  be  found  at  the 
end  of  this  document,  will  show,  inter  alia,  the  northernmost  isothermal  limit  of 
wheat,  and  two  projected  railroad  routes  to  the  Pacific,  from  St.  Paul,  Minnesota. 

Instnictions  from  the  Secretary  of  the  Treasury  to  James  W.  Taylor,  esq., 
to  proceed  with  his  report. — Appendix,  Exhibit  B. 

w.  \ 

l£,xmm't  Ga  and  C  6. 
COMPENDIA  OF  TWO  LETTERS  DATED  JULY  10,  1861. 

A. — Compendium  of  Mr.  Taylor's  views  on  the  sptedy  organization  hy  the 
'British  Parliament  {with  the  powerful  co-operation  of  the  Hudson  Bay 
Company)  of  what  is  known  to  the  English  and  Canadians  as  the  "  Red 
Riaer  and  SaskatcJiewan  districts  of  British  America." 

I.  The  report  alluded  to  in  A,  to  be  ready  on  or  before  the  first  day  of  the 

regular  session  of  Congress. 

II.  Extracts  from  a  late  publication  of  Hon.  Darcy  McGee,  member  of  the 

Canadian  Parliament. — (C  a.) 

1.  "  Whilst  we  were  interrogating  our  ministers  as  to  the  policy  on  the  Hud- 
son bay  question,  the  Americans  from  St.  Paul  were  steaming  down 
to  Fort  GaiTy.  It  is  not  the  first  tune  that  we  have  received  a  lesson 
in  enterprise  from  our  republican  neighbors  ;  to  be  our  leaders  on  our 
own  soil,  though  creditable  to  them,  is  not,  in  this  case,  particularly 
creditable  to  uti." 


AND  NORTHWEST    BRITISH  AMERICA.  0 

2.  ••  The  Red  River,  let  me  observe,  is  no  inhoppitabio  deport,  repugnant  to 

the  increase  of  .iiC  human  race." 

3.  "  In  th(!  vaUevr.  of   tlie  Saskatchewan  and  Assiniboin,  Professor  Hind 

estimat(!S  that  there  are  above  11,000,000  acres  of  arable  land  of  the 
finest  qnality." 

4.  " If  justice  were  even  now  done,  it  would  become  the  Illinois  or 

Iowa  of  our  future  British  American  nationality." 

5.  "  And  this   country  is  not  only  valuable  in  itself,  but  valuable  for  that  to 

which  it  leads.  The  distance  from  a  given  point  on  our  sid(!  of  Lake 
Superior  to  navigable  water  on  Fraz«!r  river,  in  British  Columbia,  does 
not  exceed  2,000  miles — about  twice  the  distance  between  Boston  and 
Chicago.  It  has  been  shown  by  every  explorer  how,Avith  some;  inconsid- 
erable aids  from  art,  a  continuous  steamboat  navigation  might  be  obtained 
from  Lake  Winnipeg  to  the  base  of  the  Rocky  mountains.  By  these 
aids  and  corresponding  improvements  on  the  other  side  of  the  mountains, 
Toronto  might  be  brought  within  ten  or  twelve  days  of  British  Co- 
lumbia." 

6.  "  But  there  is  a  more  important  consideration  still,  connected  with  the 

territory  ;  for  we  know  that  through  its  prairies  is  to  be  found  the  short- 
est and  best  railroad  route  to  the  Pacific.  Every  one  can  understand 
that  the  American  route  from  western  Europe  to  Asia,  which  lies  furthest 
to  the  north,  must  be  the  most  direct.  Any  one,  glancing  at  a  globe, 
will  see  where  the  46th  parallel  leads  the  eye  from  the  heart  of  Germany, 
through  the  British  channel,  across  the  Gulf  of  St.  LaAvrence,  and  from 
our  gulf  westward  to  the  Saskatchewan,  to  Vancouver  island — the 
Cuba  of  the  North  Pacific ;  and  from  Vancouver  to  the  rich  and  popu- 
lous archipelago  of  Japan.  This  course  was  demonstrated  by  Captain 
Synge  to  be  2,000  miles  Bh«)rter  between  London  and  Hong  Kong  than 
'  any  other  in  existence.  It  has  but  one  formidable  engineering  difficulty 
*  to  be  overcome — an  elevation  of  6,000  feet  above  the  sea-level — in  cross- 
ing the  Rocky  mountains  into  British  Columbia." 


Exhibit  C  i. 

B. — Compendium  of  the  revenue  laws  of  the  district  of  Assinihoia,  passed 

March  14,  1861. 

J.  "  Article  I.  That  all  goods  imported  into  the  district  of  Assiniboia,  from 
all  parts  of  the  British  dominions,  or  from  any  foreign  country,  shall  be  subject 
to  a  levy  of  four  per  cent,  ad  valorem  duty,  to  be  estimated  at  the  price  current 
of  the  original  place  of  export,  London,  or  New  York,  &c.,  excepting  such 
articles  as  shall  be  otherwise  specified.  The  following  shall  be  admitted  free 
from  customs  duty." 

I.  Then  follows  a  list  of  thirteen  articles. — (C  i.) 

II.  By  article  IV.  parties  transporting  merchandise  beyond  the  district  of 
Assiniboia,  (which  is  limited  to  the  valleys  of  the  Red  River  of  the  North,  and 
its  principal  tributary,  the  Assiniboin,)  are  exempted  from  the  payment  of  duties 
on  the  execution  of  a  transportation  bond.  •'  This  provision  embraces  the 
American  outfits  for  the  fur  trade  of  the  Saskatchewan  region,  which  is  already 
attracting  considerable  attention." — (C  b,  4.) 

III.  "  Article  VI.  That  a  duty  of  5s.  per  gallon  be  imposed  upon  all  fer- 
mented and  spirituous  liquors  imported  into  the  settlement,  except  such  as  shall 
be  proved  to  have  been  directly  imported  from  the  United  Kingdom  by  the  con- 
signee." 


r 


4 


RELATIONS   BETWEEN   THE   UNITED  STATES 


t 


IV.  The  people  diHsatiafied  with  "article  VI."  ' 

1.  Extracts  from  "  Nor'westcr,"  the  paper  published  at  Fort  Garry,  dated 
April  1,  1861,  and  April  15,  1861  : 

a.  "  Observe,  tve  do  not  object  to  this  5*.  impost ;  we  highly  approve  of 
it ;  but  we  maintain  that  this  being  done,  the  admission  free  of  intoxi- 
cating beverages  from  England  cannot  be  defended.  It  is  simply  a 
piece  of  favoritism — an  odious  exhibition  of  selfishness  on  the  part 
of  the  Hudson  Bay  Company,  and  a  proof  of  the  subserviency  of 
our  council  to  that  wealthy  corporation.  We  protest  against  the  law 
as  it  stands,  and  in  doing  so  we  but  speak  the  sentiments  of  the  great 
majority  of  the  Red  River  people." 

h.  '•  The  present  distinction  is  too  marked,  too  wide,  too  decided  to  be  de- 
fensible on  any  principles  of  honest  legislation." — (C  h.) 

0. 

Exhibit  E. 

A. — Operation  of  Canadian  reciprocity  treaty. 

I.  Security  of  northeastern  fisheries,  embarrassed  under  vague  and  restrictive 

terms  of  treaty  of  1818^placed  on  a  satisfactory  basis  by  reciprocity  treaty. 

II.  Importance  to  the  northwest  of  free  navigation  of  St.  Lawrence,  especially 

as  to  the  transportation  of  grain  to  market,  and  the  movement  of  iron 
and  copper  from  Lake  Superior. 

III.  Canadian  exhibits  of  exports  and  imports  for  the  year  ending  Decem- 

ber 31,  1860. 

1.  The  total  value  of  imports  into  Canada  from  the  United  States  alone, 

during  the  above-named  year,  was  $17,273,020,  more  than  equalled 
her  imports  with  the  rest  of  the  world.  Her  total  importation  was 
$34,447,935.— (E.) 

2.  The  total  value  of  Canadian  produce  and  manufactures  during  1860  was 

$18,427,968. 

IV.  General  remarks: 

1.  Canadian  and  American  tariffs;  their  respective  changes  since  1854;  no 

ground  for  recrimination. — (E.) 

2.  The  value  and  extent  of  the  Canadian  market  for  all  forms  of  American 

industry,  especially  manufactures  and  agriculture. — (E.) 

Exhibit  Fa. 
A. — Dissatisfaction  of  the  Assiniboians  with  British  inadequacy. 

I.  Extracts  from  "Nor'wester,"  the  newspaper  published  at  Selkirk  settlement: 

1.  From  the  "Nor'wester,"  of  October  15th: 

"  The  progress  of  our  republican  neighbors  in  opening  up,  settling,  and  or- 
ganizing new  Territories,  is  something  wonderful.  Idaho,  Nevada,  Dakota, 
and  Chippewa  were  heard  of,  for  the  first  time,  as  nam(!8  indicating  im- 
portant geographical  areas  of  the  North  American  continent.  Just  before 
these  we  had  Oregon,  Kansas,  Nebraska,  Utah,  and  Washington.  What 
an  array  of  names!  What  amazing  progress  in  occupying  and  settling  a 
wild  unpeopled  country!  We  cannot  regard  with  'udifterence  the  rapid 
march  of  civilization  at  our  very  doors,  *  •  ♦  ♦  *  while  we,  a  large,  pop- 


'f 


AND  NORTirWEST   BRITISH   AMERICA. 


5 


ulnufl,  niid  woll-tn-(lo  oomnmnity  of  fifty  yonrs'  atnndin^,  nro  Htill  in  Hwnd- 
(Uinfj^  flothoH,  under  a  fostor-inotlicr'B  patronizing^  rule.  Shame,  on  the 
Britixfi  gnrcrnmvnt  that  this  is  the  ease  !  How  much  longer  is  it  to  con- 
tiniir?  Are  they  waitinj;  until  we  mnkc  nhort  work  of  our  (h'Ktiniew 
by  roting  annexation  to  Minnesota  or  Dakota  ?  or  till  we  take  the  reins 
of  government  with  a  rude  granp,  and  proclaim  independence  of  both  Dritich 
and  American  rule] 

"One  or  the  other  altcrnativ«i  will  surely  come,  aome  day,  unle'sn  change 
in  our  governmental  si/stetn  takes  place. 

"Wo  speak  advisedly  when  we  say  that  i\ic  2>eojde  of  Kcd  River  are  he- 

coming  indifferent  to  British  connexion.^' 

2.  "That  \vv  shall   not   always    smart   under  our  present  mortification   is 

,  most  certain.     Time  and  the  forci^  of  circumstances  will  give  us  our 

^  coveted  status;  and  we  must,  for  the  present,  bear  our  humiliation  with 

the  best  grace  possible." 

II.  The  "Nor'wcstor,"  in  spite  of  this  strong  language,  is  hardly  abi'east  of 

«the  public  dissatisfaction.     The  party  favoring  annexation  to  the  Uniti'd 
States  is  numerous: 

1.  Annexation  to  be  advocated  through  the  press: 

a,  A  new  paper  to  be  started,  Avhich  shall  be  "  uncompromisingly  hostile 

to  the  Hudson  Bay  Company"  and  in  favor  of  "annexation;" 
h.  The  people  can  only  be  quieted  by  speedy  organization  as  a  "Crown 

Colony;" 
c.  Unless  England  n!ripond,  she  will  surely  lose  the  colony,  either  by 

revolution  or  "annexation." 

III.  In  case  of  a  war  with  England,  the  competency  of  Minnesota  to  "hold, 

occupy,  and  possess"  the  Red  River  to  Lake  Winnipeg: 

1.  The  defenceless  condition  of  the  valley: 

a.  No  British  troops  at  Fort  Garry; 

b.  Indians  depredate  with  impunity; 

c.  The  "  Nor' wester  "  confesses  weakness,  demanding:  "a  chanm"  as"ab- 
solutely  necessary." 

2.  Hardihood  of  the  lumbtirmeu  and  laborers  of  Minnesota. 

3.  Facilities  for  military  operations : 
a.  Accessibility  by  way  of  the  ]\Iinnesota  and  Pacific  railroad  route — 

commonly  known  as  the  "Wood  Road." 

B. — Compendium  of  letter  dated  June  12,  1862. — (Vide  Exhibit  F  b  of  Ap- 
pendix.) 

I.  Further  extracts  from  "  Nor' wester,"  of  May  28: 

1.  "  Can  it  be  expected  that  we  should  not  become  Americanized,  when 
Britain  shows  perfect  indifference  to  us?" 

2.  "We  have  no  postal  communication  with  any  part  of  the  civilized 
"worXA,  except  through  the  United  States  !" 

3.  Importation  from  American  States  easy;  from  England,  tardy. 

4.  "  The  only  decent  route  for  immigrants  through  the  States.     Con- 
sequently, new  settlers  are,  for  the  most  part,  Americans." 

5.  Vicinage  to  the  United  States  promotive  of  disloyalty  to  Britain,  to 
whom  the  Red  Riverites  now  say : 

6.  "Do  something  for  us  at  once,  or  lose  us  forever." 

II.  Victoria  (Vancouver  island)  desires  a  reciprocity  treaty  with  the  United 
States. 


e 


UELATIONH   HETWEEN   THE   UNITED   STATES 


1; 


I  If 


Ex  II I  HIT  G,  (May  1,  1862.) 

"(IF.OaitAI'HICAL  MKMOIU  OK  Nt)UTHWK8T  BRITISH  AMEKICA.  AND  ITS  RELA- 
LA'IIONS  TO  THE  KEVENUK  AND  COMMERCE  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES." 

A. — Jntroihiifor;/  letter  to  the  Secretary  of  the  Treaswy,  emhudying  a  histori- 
cal sketch  of  our  relations  with  England  and  Russia,  and  the  progress  of 
opinion  in  England  relative  to  cohmizatifm. 

I.  A 

1822.- 


1822.- 
1S24.- 
1825.- 


1844.. 
1S4G.. 


1846. 

1848.. 


1849.- 
1857. 


1857.—, 


(•lir(niol(»gical  view  compilt'tl  from  t)io  above  letter: 

-IluBHia  ipHueH  a  "ukaHC,"  declaring  the  Nortli  Pacific  a  closed  sea  from 

51°  (or  north  end  of  Vancouver  island)  to  49°,  on  Asiatic  coast. — 

(Nortli  latitude.) 

-United  States  claiming  as  high  as  54°  40',  resist  the  ahove,  demanding 

that  American  whalers  should  not  he  excluded  from  the  North  Pacific. 

-Treaty  between  Russia  and  tin;  United  States,  making  54°  40'  the 

boundary,  and  declaring  the  Pacific  an  open  sea. 
-Great  Uritain  and  Russia  agree  on  the  following  boundary: 

"Commencing  in  north  latitude  54°  40',  between  131°  and  133°  west 
longitude,  at  the  southernmost  part  of  Prince  of  Wales  island ;  thence 
proceeds  up  Portland  canal  to  56°  north  latitude,  and  from  the  last-men- 
tioned point  the  line  of  demarcation  shall  follow  the  summit  of  the 
mountains,  parallel  to  the  coast,  as  far  as  the  intersection  of  141°  of 
west  longitude,  and  then  along  that  meridian  line  to  the  Frozen  ocean." 

Article  nine  states  that  whenever  the  summit  of  the  mountains  shall 
exceed  ten  marine  leagues  from  the  ocean,  the  li»ie  between  the  British 
possessions  and  the  Russian  line  of  coast  shall  be  formed  by  a  line  par- 
allel to  the  windings  of  the  coast,  and  which  shall  never  exceed  the  dis- 
tance of  ten  marine  leagues  from  the  same. 

-Controversy  with  Great  Britain  as  to  the  northern  boundary  of  Oregon. 
-Prior  to  this  date  Russia  and  England  became  jealous  of  each  other  on 
account  of  the  disposition  of  the  former  to  occupy  California.    Except 
for  the  Mexican  war,  European  intervention  would  probably  have  ap- 
propriated the  bay  of  San  Francisco. 
-It  was  during  this  year  that  the  opinion  was  expressed  in  the  British 
House  of  Commons  that  the  whole  country  north  of  the  Columbia  was 
not  worth  c£20,000. 

-Sir  J.  H.  Pelly,  governor  of  the  Hudson  Bay  Company,  thus  expresses 
himself  in  a  letter  to  Lord  Grey : 

"As  far  as  I  am  concerned,  (and  I  think  the  company  will  concur  if 
any  great  national  benefit  would  be  expected  from  it,)  I  Avoxdd  be  willing 
to  relinquish  the  whole  of  the  territory  held  und(.'r  the  charter  under 
similar  terais  to  those  which  it  is  proposed  the  East  India  Company 
shall  receive  on  the  expiration  of  their  charter,  viz :  securing  the  pro- 
prietors an  interest  on  their  capital  of  10  per  cent." 
-Minnesota  Tenitory  organized. 

-The  people  of  Canada  West  induce  the  British  Parliament  to  institute 
the  inquiry  whether  the  region  in  question  is  adapted  by  fertility  of 
soil,  a  favorable  climate,  and  natural  advantages  of  internal  commu- 
nication for  the  support  of  a  prosperous  colony  of  England. 
July  31.  The  select  committee  of  the  House  of  Commons,  appointed  to 
consider  the  state  of  those  British  possessions  in  North  America  which 
are  under  the  Hudson  Bay  Company,  reported  testimony,  but  made 
no  decided  recommendations.    They  "  apprehend  that  the  districts  on 


I 


AND   NOBTHVVKHT    lUUTISH   AMERICA. 


/•<s 


the  Red  River  ami  the  BiiHkatchcwan  nn*  anion);  thone  most  likely  to 
1m!  (h'Hired  for  early  ooenpation,"  and  depreeate  any  ditficnlty  hclwccn 
the  government  and  the  company.  Tliey  deemed  it  projter  to  ter- 
minate the  coimexion  of  tin;  llndmtn  liay  Company  with  Vaneon\er 
inland  for  the  advantage  of  that  interentinjj^  colony,  which  wouhl  l»o 
ext«'nded  to  the  main  land  an  noon  an  po,ssdtle.  liritiHh  Colninltia, 
they  thonght,  suitable  for  a  permanent  netflement. 

IS.'jS. — (lold  discovenid  on  Frazer  river. 

1S5S. — I'ufjet'H  «ound  aHHumew  new  importance  on  account  of  the  above  and  the 
California  mincrt. 

1S58. — Sir  Edward  Hulwer  Lytton  proi-laimH,  in  the  name  of  the  p;overnment, 
the  policy  of  continnouH  colonien  from  Lake  Superior  to  the  I*acific, 
and  a  hij^hway  acroHW  HritiHh  America  as  the;  mont  direct  route  from 
London  to  IVkin  and  Jeddo. 

IS.'jS, — The  eaHtern  boundary  of  British  Columbia  fixed  on  Rocky  mountaim^. 

lSo8. — Canada  exidorert  the  route  from  F(»rt  William,  on  Lake  Hup<'rior,  to 
Fort  Garry,  <m  Red  River,  and  f^ives  inipreHsive  suuunaricrt  of  the 
natural  resources  of  Lake  Winnipeg  basin. 

ISoS. — A  report  to  the  New  York  Chamber  of  Commerce  announces  that  the 
region  of  Lake  Winnipeg,  like  the  valley  of  the  Mississij)pi,  is  dis- 
tinguished for  the  fertility  of  its  soil,  and  for  the  extent  and  gentle 
slope  of  its  great  plains,  watered  by  rivers  of  great  length,  and 
admirably  adapted  to  steam  navigation. 

"  It  will,  in  all  respects,  i-ompare  favorably  with  some  of  the  most 
densely  peopled  portions  of  Europe.  Li  other  words,  it  is  admirably 
fitted  to  become  the  seat  of  a  numitrous,  hardy,  and  prosperous  connnu- 
nity.  It  has  an  area  equal  to  eight  or  ten  first  class  American  States. 
Its  great  river,  the  Saskatchewan,  carries  a  navigable  water-line  to  the 
base  of  the  Rocky  mountains.  It  is  not  at  all  improbable  that  the  valley 
of  this  river  may  yet  offer  the  best  route  for  a  railroad  to  the  I'acific. 
The  navigable  waters  of  this  great  subdivision  int(!rlock  with  those  of 
the  ]\Iississippi.  Red  River  of  the  North,  navigable  (in  connexion  with 
Lake  Winnipeg)  for  800  miles  directly  north  and  south,  is  one  of  the 
best  adapted  for  steam  in  the  world,  and  waters  one  of  the  finest 
regions  on  the  continent.  Between  its  headwaters  and  St.  I'aul,  Min- 
nesota, a  railroad  is  in  process  of  construction,  which,  when  completed, 
will  open  up  half  a  million  of  squai'e  miles  for  settlement." 

1858. — Novembers.  Lord  Caernarvon  "  regrets "  the  conduct  of  the  Hudson 
Bay  Company,  and  insists  on  a  "  decision  "  by  the  judicial  committee 
of  the  privy  council. 

1858. — Proposition  to  Hudson  Bay  Company  to  refer  questions  concerning 
charter  and  territorial  limits  to  judicial  committee  of  privy  council — 
made  and  rejected. 

1859. — Canadian  government  demand  of  England  prompt  adjustment  of  the 
relations,  &c.,  of  the  Red  River  and  Saskatchewan  districvs. 

1859. — Condition  and  prospects  of  English  colonization  in  Northwest  America. 
First  steam  voyagd  Fort  Abercrombie  to  Fort  Garry. 

1859. — Minnesota  received  as  a  State. 

1859. — Railroad  projected  to  Pembina. 

1861. — Commerce  of  Minnesota  with  Selkirk  and  the  Saskatchewan  doubles  the 
preceding  year. 

"  Cari*ioo  district "  rapidly  filling  up  with  a  mining  population. 
The  mountain  ranges,  which  are  alike  the  sources  of  the  Columbia, 
the  Frazer,  the  Peace,  the  Athabasca,  and  the  Saskatchewan,  M'ith  an 
average  of  latitude  54°,  of  longitude  120°,  must,  inevitably,  be  trans- 
formed into  an  active  scene  of  mining  adventure. 


I 


11 


IP 


f 


,i 


8  RELATIONS   HKTWKEN   THE    UNITED    HTATEH 

Tliirt  will  iicccHHitatc  the  proinpt  orj^aiiiKiition  niul  Hcttlonicnt  of 
liritinli  AiiH'rioa,  tlmt  m,  ol'  tlu;  plaiiiH  of  tlit>  rivn-  liHHiiiH  coiivcrpii;^ 
to  Liko  Winnipeg,  and  cloxrly  coum!Ct«!U  with  uur  north weHtcni 
StatoH. 

Couti'iitH  400,000  Hquaro  luiltiH. 

1. 

ExHiHiT  a,  G'.  M'. 

CONTINUATION  OF  "  GEOORAPHICAL  MKMOIR  ( )F  NORTHWEST  HRITISH  AMERK  A, 
AND  ITS  UELATIONS  TO  THE  IIEVENIIE  AND  COMMERCE  OF  THE  UNITED 
STA'ltlS." 

B. — "  Part  First.     The 2>hyiiical  geography  (tf  NortJtwcst  British  America.^' — 
(F?V/c  muj)  of  this  syrnqtsis  at  end  (tf  document.) 

I.  Isotlicnn  (northorumoHt)  of  the  cereals  and  of  animal  {growth  :* 

1.  Thirty -five  ('l/i")  the  limit  of  temperature  of  the  north  temperate  zone. 

II.  Climate  of  Pacific  slope. 

III.  Climate  and  productions  of  Central  British  America: 

1.  '^rhe  Missouri,  llio  Mississippi,  and  the  Saskatchewan  "  set  off"  against 
the  Uneiper,  the  Don,  and  the  Volga,  of  Russia,  which  last  water  the 
most  populous  portions  of  that  empire. 
S.  The  American  district  (hetween  44°  and  51°  N.  L.)  watered  by  the  first 
three  mentioned  rivers,  resembles  European  Russia  in  the  following 
particular : 
a.  Our  continental  latitude,  from  44°  to  r»4°,  repreaents  the  Russian  tem- 
perate zone,  from  50°  to  57°  N.  L. 

3.  The  northern  shore  of  Lake  Huron  has  the  mean  summer  heat  of  Bor- 

deaux, (70°  Fah.,)  and  the  Cumberland  Hou8e,on  the  Saskatchewan, 
exceeds,  in  this  respect,  Brussels  or  Paris. 

4.  Potatoes,  barley,  and  oats  can  be  profitJibly  cultivated  in  the  Saskatchewan 

district  as  far  as  54°,  and  maize  as  far  up  as  50°  (N.  L.) 

5.  Animals : 

a.  Fur-bearers ;  innumerable. 

b.  Cariboo  (reindeer)  from  50°  to  66°. 

c.  Laniferentes : 

a.  Rocky  mountain  goat,  from  40°  to  60°. 

b.  Bison,  {improperly  called  buffalo — see  Webster,)  swann  west 

of  105°  of  longitude  and  south  of  60°  of  latitude, 

d.  Lakes  and  streams  abound  in  choicest  fish. 

IV.  The  corresponding  district  of  Russia,  with  the  same  climate,  the  most 

populous  and  flourishing  portion  of  the  empire. 

V.  Itinerary  of  Sir  George  Simpson :  (G.) 

1.  Favorable  description  of  that  river,  "which  empties  Ra'.iy  lake  into  the 

Lake  of  the  Woods  :"  (G.) 

a.  Navigation  easy. 

b.  Banks  fertile. 

2.  Lake  of  the  Woods  : 

a.  Slioi    -  fertile,  producing  "  wild  rice"  in  abundance. 
h.  Bringing  "  maize  to  perfection." 


I 

I 


I 


f 


o  Nature  hag  qualified  man  to  breathe  an  atinospLere  120°  above  or  60°  degrees  below 
aero,  without  injury  to  health. 


AND   NORTHWEST    nRITISII    AMERICA. 


van 


1 


r,  Stu(l(lt>(l  witli  V  lodcd   jhIiiiuIh,  j'xcmpt  from  I'roHtH,  and  eHpocially 

adnptcd  to  i-uliivatinn  :  ((}.) 
y.  Ilrd  River  and  Selkirk  8«'ttl('im'iif :  ((J.) 

a.  Soil,  a  Idack  mould  of  great  deptli  and  fertility,  nroducin}?  idnmp 

and  heavy  wheat,  n(!ver  lenrt  than  15  to  2.0  huHheirt  to  the  aire ; 

Honu'timeH  40  burthelH. 
h,  OthiT  grainn  in  al)undan('(>. 
f.  Ih'ef,  mutton,  and  |»ork  hi  abundance. 

d.  Che«'(*e  in  abundance. 

e.  Wool  in  abundance. 

J'.   Cattle  Hnd  their  food  for  Heven  nionthi*,  but  are  maintained  on  Htnnv 

frtun  the  fnnuH  and  hay  cut  on  the  boundleHrt  couunonH  Ixdiind. 
.j^'.  Subject  to  inundatiouH,  how((ver. 

4.  From   Red  River  to  Edmonton  House,  near  hititudo  54"^  and  longitude 

113°:  (G.) 
a.  PrairicH  of  green  nvvard. 
/».  Many  shallow  lakes,  containing  water  only  in  spring,  b(^aring  tall 

grass,  roses,  hyacinths,  and  tiger  lilies, 
c.   Sand  hills. 
«l.  Wooded  hills,  salt  lakes,  wild  fowl. 

5.  Fort  Ellic(N  a  post  of  Hudson  Bay  Company : 

a.  Probable  navigability,  for  steamers,  of  the  Assiniboin  river. 

6.  Butte  aux  Chiens,  (Dog's  Knoll,)  400  feet  high : 

u.  Alluvial  soil  of  great  fertility  :  (G.) 

7.  Lac  Sale,  (Salt  Lake  :)  (G.) 

a.  Wild  fowl  ni  abundance. 

b.  Flowery  fields. 

8.  Bow  river,  south  branch  of  the  Saskatchewan  : 

a.  This  is  a  considerable  stream,  without  physical  impediment. 

9.  Fort  Carleton,  on  the  Saskatchewan  ;  latitude  53°,  longitude  108°  west : 

a.  Large  gardens  and  fields  of  potatoes. 

It.  Wheat,  often,  liow(!ver,  destroyed  by  frosts. 

c.  Saskatchewan,  swift  in  current,  navigable  for  boats  for  700  miles  in 

a  direct  line,  but,  by  the  actual  course  of  the  stream,  nearly  double 
that  distance.  The  only  impediment  to  navigation  is  the  "  Grand 
llapids." 

d.  Indian  population,  16,730  in  Saskatchewan  :  (G.) 

VI.  The  American  valley  of  the  Red  River  :  (G.) 

1.  Boundaries : 

a.  South  by  Lake  Traverse  and  Otter  Tail  lake. 

b.  North  by  (Pembina  and)  British  possessions. 

c.  East  by  longitude  of  Red  lake. 

d.  West  by  the  longitude  of  Miunewakan,  or  Spirit  lake. 

2.  A^':i : 

a.  In  latitude,  from  about  46°  to  49°. 

b.  In  longitude,  from  95°  30'  to  99°. 

3.  The  garden  of  the  northwest  is  a  radius  of  50  miles  around  Otter  Tail 

lake. 

4.  The  Red  River  of  the  North  rises  in  Otter  Tail  lake. 

a.  Geology :  (G.) 

5.  Dr.  Owen's  geographical  report. 

VII.  Assiniboia:  (G.) 

VIII.  Cumberland :  (G.) 


10 


RELATIONS  EETWEl  N  THE   UNITED   STATES 


Ml 


i;! 


r: 


IX.  Soekatchewan :  (G.) 

1.  Area: 

o.  In  latitude  from  49°  to  55°  =  6  degrees. 
b.  Ample  space  for  four  States  size  of  Ohio. 

2.  Compared  witn  Aesiniboia : 

a.  Canadian  opinion  unfavorable  to  Saskatchewan. 

b.  Sir  George  Simpson's  favorable. 

3.  Father  De  Smet,  in  liis  "  Oregon  Missions,"  consisting  of  letters  to  .Sis 

superiors,  in  a  portion  of  his  volume,  narrates  his  explorations  and  ad- 
ventures in  the  Saskatchewan  valleyb  of  the  Rocky  mountains. — (G.) 

a.  Bow  and  Red  Deer  rivers : 

a.  Sulphurous  fountains. 

b.  Coal.  . 

b.  Rocky  Mountain  House,  53=  N.,  115°  W. 

c.  Edmonton  House : 

a.  Stream;,,  lakes,  prairies,  and  mineral  springs,  numerous. 

b.  Mill-seats  frequent. 

C.  Forests  of  pine,  cypress,  &c.  :; 

5.  Country  capable  of  supporting  a  large  popuktion. 

a.  Soil  produces  barley,  corn,  potatoes,  and  beans. 

fi.  White  fish;  four  pounds  each. 

y.  Aquatic  birds,  sent  to  the  fort  by  cart-loads. 

i.  Eggs  picked  up  by  thousands  in  the  marshes. 

d.  Iroquois  Indians. 

X.  Athabasca:  (G.)  ;. 

1.  Boundaries: 

a.  North,  by  Athabasca  laVe. 

b.  South,  by  Cumberland  House.     ■ 

2.  Climate  same  as  that  of  *;he  Pacific  coast: 

iv.  In  May  ( 10th)  the  verdure  of  the  whole  country  exuberant,  and  bufialo 

attended  by  their  young. 
b.  Highly  favorable  opinion  of  Dr.  Richard  King.  . 

3.  Minerals,  (limestone.) 

4.  Soil,  (fertile.) 

5.  Knickerbocker  Magazine,  October,  18o8,  [q.  v.) 

a.  Atlantic  temperature  not  carried  straight  across  to  the  Pacific.    The 

isothermals  deflect  greatly  towards  the  north. — (G.) 

b.  Vide  E,  B,  III,  (2  a,  3)  of  this  synopsis. 

c.  Our  Pacific  coast  equals  any  part  of  western  Europe  in  climate,  soil, 

and  commercial  accessibility. 

d.  The  continental  mass  lying  westward  and  northward  of  Lake  Superior 

is  tar  more  valuable  than  the  interior  in  lower  latitudes  of  Salt 
Lake  and  upper  New  Mexico. 

e.  The  Hudson  Bay  Company  accused  of  purposely  keeping  it  in  a 

state  of  wilderness. 

XI.  Vancouver  island :  (G.)  it  ;.  k  ;  •    :      ':        :    •*•        ■■■•'T 

1.  General  description : 

a.  Soil  and  face  of  the  country:     '    -i^*  -^^    ^c-  ^^    -  -■  'tit    i- 

a.  Fertile;  well  timbered.  ' 

b.  Diversified  by  interesting  mountain  ranges,  with  small  prairies. 
C.  Extensive  coal  fields. 

b.  Excellent  harbors. 

» .  Esquimaux  harbor,  on  which  Victoria  is  situated,  is  equal  to 
San  Francisco. 


XI 


XI 


XI 


i 


XA 


sra  to  his 
8  and  ad- 
n8.~(G.) 


i 


8. 


id  buffalo 


ic.    The 


late,  soil, 

Superior 
3  of  Salt 

:  it  in  a 


prairies, 
ecjual  to 


AND  NORTHWEST  BRITISH    AMERICA.  It 

e.  Salmon  and  other  excellent  fisheries. 

f.  Climnte,  in  winter,  stormy,  with  heavy  rains  in  November  and 

December.  Frosts  occur  in  January,  but  seldom  interrupt 
Hfjriculture.  Vegetation  starts  in  February,  progresses  rapidly 
in  ^larcli,  fostered  bv  alternate  warm  showers  and  sunshine  in 
April  and  May.  Intense  heat  and  drought  often  experienced 
in  June,  July,  and  August. 
b.  Area  (16,200  square  miles)  equal  to  Vermont  and  New  Hampshire. 

XII.  Frazer  and  Thompson  rivers  :  (G.) 

1.  The  valley  of  the  Frazer  adapted  to  colonization  : 

a.  Sources  of  Frazer  and  Athabasca  rivers,  separated  by  317  yards 

only.  (Latitude  55°  N.) 

2.  The  valley  of  Thompson  river  one  of  the  most  beautiful  countries  in  the  world. 

b.  Climate  capable  of  producing  all  the  crops  of  England,  and  much 

milder  than  Canada. 

XIII.  Sources  of  the  Columbia : 

1.  Kootanais  or  Flatbow  Indians :  (G.) 

a.  Father  De  Smet  gives  a  glowing  sketch  of  the  oval  district  between 

Flatbow  {»n(l  Upper  Columbia  rivers.     Area  20,000  miles. 

a.  Coal  abundant. 

b.  Ix'ad  profusely  scattered  over  surface. 

C.   Silver,  probable.  , 

b.  Prairie  du  Tabac  ;  an  immense  and  delightful  valley. 

a.  Climaie  delightful ;  the  extremes  of  heat  and  cold  being  seldom 

known. — (G.) 

b.  Country  well  adapted  for  grazing. — (G.) 

XIV.  The  Arctic  districts  :  \. 

1.  Areas: 

a.  Vancouver  island 16,  200  square  mileei. 

b.  Frazer  and  Thompson  rivers 60,  000      "         " 

c.  Sources  of  the  Columbia 20,  000      "         " 

d.  Athabasca  district 50, 000      "         " 

e.  Saskatchewan  district 360, 000      "         " 

2.  Twelve  States  size  of  Ohio 506,  000      "         " 

XV.  Geology:  (G.) 

1.  From  Lake  Superior  to  Lake  Winnipeg,  crystalline  rocks;  a  system  gen- 

erally unfavorable  to  agriculture,  although  many  fertile  spots  are  to  be 
found.  Bounded  north  by  Arctic  ocean.  Great  Slave  lake,  and  Lake 
Athabasca. 

2.  W  istward  of  above  lakes  and  Lake  Winnipeg,  nearly  to  Rocky  mountains. 

Silurian  and  Lovonian  systems  eminently  favorable  to  agriculture: 
a.  Silurian  deposits  range  1,000  miles   east  and  west,  and  500  miles 

north  and  south,  thence, 
h.  The  Devonian  continuing  to  Arctic  ocean. 
c.  It  is  through  this  part  of  the  territory  that  the  Saskatchewan  and 

Mackenzie  flow. 

3.  One  hundred  miles  east  of  Rocky  mountains  great  coal  bed  commences. 

It  is  sixty  miles  in  width,  and  extends  over  16°  of  latitude  to  the 
Arctic  sea. 

a.  Aluminous  shales  associated  constantly  with — 

b.  Bituminous  formations,  and  ligneous  formations : 


12 


RELATIONS   BETWEEN   THE   UNITED   STATES 


!■ 

h 


a.  Massive  coals  extracted :  (G.) 

'  ,  ,  1    .     a.  Ligneous.  .   ,1  .,  •     .  '   .; 

/9.  Coniferous.  ,  .   .?» 

y.  Genus  "  Pinus." 
6.  Dicotyledons  present. — (G.) 
:.j  «.  lu  close  proximity  are  found  fibrous  brown  coal. 
<;.  Earth  coal. 
;  ,■  I,.  Conchoidal  brown  coal.  ,      ,i        ,. 

e  Trapezoidal  brown  coal. 

b.  Lithological  (1)  characters  of  "  bituminous  slate."  (?)  -  - 

4.  A  vast  coal  field  skirts  the  base  of  the  Rocky  mountains,  for  a  very  great 

extent,  and  probably  continues  far  into  the  Arctic  sea. 

5.  Inestimable  importance  of  this  coal  field,  in  connexion  with  working  and 

constructing  a  Pacific  railroad. — (G.)  «     .:  ^     f,  i        ^ 

XVI.  Mineralogy:  (G.)  ;  ■       '" 

1.  Hudson  bay:  (G.)  ,      ; 

a.  Eastern  shores  contain  lead.  '  '  '         '    '         '     <  i      .      . 

b.  Western  shores  contain  copper.  ? 

2.  Between  sixtieth  and  sixty-fifth  parallels,  a  beautiful  piece  of  variegated 

marble  found  on  the  eartn's  surmce. 

3.  Banks  of  the  Mackenzie :  (G.) 

a.  Petroleum,  (rock  oil.)  '  •         -' 

b.  Iron.  '  ' 

c.  Copper.        '      '  -     ' 

4.  Bear  Lake  river: 

a.  Iron. 

b.  Mineral  springs. 

5.  Peace  river:  ,    .'        r     /'  ' 

a.  Salt  springs. 

6.  Melville  island:  ,  ^     '  . 

a.  FHnt.  -  ^   ..  •    '     _ 

J.  Coal.  '  /  '    ■  r    '  '"',:"'  '        '     '■    ' 

c.  Iron  stone.         -    ■      '  . 

<2.  Madrepore.  "  .  j^^ 

e.  Greensand.  ";  ■  •        •  •    -    o-- 

7.  Southampton  island : 

a.  Magnetic  iron  stone. 

8.  Lyon  inlet: 

a.  Epidote.  r       ,  ; 

9.  Red  point:  ,  ,    ,,, 

a.  Lapis  oUaris.      ..  ,  _  v  \  'i 

b.  Asbestos. 

10.  Rendezvous  island:  ,  _, 

a.  Rose  quartz.  >■v^i^^,^"  .■vr  l-.-  --^  j--^:-<iii"  ..^ 

d.  Ledum  palustre.  _,  '         .J  V*,,  ;;;<!! 

c.  Ironstone.  /■■.,,^  ,^;.,.'^"J  ' 

d.  Graphite.  ..^  .,;     ...  -■■,.-..,:  r.  ,.-.    '^'^'--Ai:  i't'V 

11.  Along  most  of  the  beaches :         ,.;  .,       i; 

a.  A  brilliant  garnet. 

12.  Winter  island : 

a. .  Madrepore.  i.     --  /  i 

b.  Steatite,  (soapstone.) 

c.  Asbestos.  j^  ..■  . ,  .,   i ,:  / 

d.  Octynoiite. 

13.  Agnew  river :  (G.) 


«*I"V> 


V  .;/■■< 


1 


f.V.l 


AND  NORTHWEST   BRITISH    AMERICA. 


13 


very  great 
)rking  and 


variegated 


• 


fl. 


a.  Copper  ore. 

b.  Agalo. 

14.  Elizabeth  harbor :       ,  ■     v     v 

a.  Gypsum.  .    ,,  .      , 

h.  Red  marl. 

c.  Garnets. 
di  Quartz: 

a>  Red  (quartz.) 
b.  Pink  (quartz.) 
r.  Yellow  (quartz.) 

15.  Hill  river: 

a.  Quartz  rocks,  containing—  , 

a-  Precious  garnets. 

b.  Mica  slate. 

16.  Knee  lake: 

a.  Primitive  gi-eenstone,  with 

b.  Disseminated  iron  pyrites. 

17.  Trout  river:  (G.) 

a.  Magnetic  iron  ore. 

b.  Well-crystalized  precious  garnets. 

18.  Lake  Winnipeg : 

a.  Beautiful  china-like  chert. 

b.  Arenaceous  deposits. 
6".  Argentiferous  rocks. 

19.  Cumberland  House : 

a.  Salt  springs. 
'     b.  Sulphur  springs. 

c.  Coal. 

20.  Elk  river: 

a.  Fluid  bitumen. 

21.  Shores  of  Lake  Athabasca :  (G.) 

a.  Plumage  slate,  finest. 

b.  Chlorite  slate,  finest. 

22.  Mouth  of  Coppermine  river: 

a.  Trap. 

b.  Lead 

c.  Copper.  ;■';;> 

d.  Malachite. 

e.  Chi'omate  of  iron,  (very  valuable.) 

23.  Rocky  mountains : 

a.  Semi-opal,  resembling  obsidian. 

b.  Plumbago. 

c.  Specular  iron. 

d.  Gold. 

24.  Slave  river :  (G.)        ,        , 
,       a.  Gypsum. 

b.  Salt  springs. 

c.  Petroleum. 

d.  Dolomite. 

25.  Coronation  gulf:  (G.) 

a.  Lead  ore. 

26.  Mackensie:  (G.) 

a.  Iron,  skirted  by — 

b.  Metalliferous  ranges  of  mountains. 


I 


■■•■'i    ,. 


14 


RELATIONS   BETWEEN   THE    UNITED   STATES 


f;, 


li' 


E. 

'•CONTINUA'nON  OF  GEOGRAPHICAL  MEMOIR  OF  NORTHWEST  BRITISH  AMER. 
ICA  AND  ITS  RELATIONS  TO  THE  REVENUE  AND  COMMERCE  OF  THE 
UNITED  STATES." 

C. — *'P«r<  second:    The  history  and  organization  of  the  Hudson  Bay  Com- 
pany," (G.) 

I.  Thoir  clinrtor: 

1.  Dated  May  2, 1670,  (22  C.  II.) 

2.  Prince  Rupert,  with  sixteen  others,  undertake  an  expedition  to  Hudson 

bay  for  the  discovery  of  a  new  passage  into  the  South  sea,  and  for  ob- 
taining furs,  minerals,  &c. 

3.  Colony  to  be  culled  "  Rupert's  Land." 

4.  Annual  rent — two  elks  and  two  black  beavers,  whenever  the  royal  Charles 

or  any  of  his  successors,  (regnant !)  should  enter  "  Rupert's  Land." — (G.) 

II.  Act  of  Parliament  to  confirm  charter,  A.  D.  1690: 
1.  Act  limited  to  seven  years. 

III.  England's  claim  to  Hudson  bay  founded  upon  a  presumed  discovery  of 

Sir  Henry  Hudson,  A.  D.  1610,  (G.) 

1.  Hudson,  however,  only  sailed  into  the  straits  which  bear  his  name.    There 

he  was  drowned  by  his  mutinous  crew. 

2.  The  French  had  discovered  the  hay  before  that  time. — (Vide  "Charlevoix," 

vol.  1,  p.  476.) 

IV.  Louis  XIII,  in  1626,  granted  a  charter  to  the  "company  of  New  France, 

called  Canada." 

V.  Rivalry  and  strife  between  the  English  and  French  companies  and  forts. 

VI.  Cession  to  France  of  English  forts  by  the  Ryswick  treaty. 

VII.  Treaty  of  Uti-echt  gives  England,  for  the  first  time,  undisputed  title  to 

"Hudson  bay." 

VIII.  Canada  ceded  to  England  in  1763. 

IX.  "Northwest  Company"  organized  at  Montreal  in  1783. 

X.  Union  of  Hudson  Bay  and  Northwest  Companies,  under  the  name  of  "  Hud- 

son Bay  Company,"  in  1821,  (G.) 
XL  Hudson  Bay  Company  beneficial  to  Minnesota: 

1.  As  a  police  over  the  Indians.  •;'    •■ 

2.  Hospitabh  to  travellers. 

3.  Encourages  missions. 

E.       ""  -:'■■' ■^''^^■■' 

"GEOGRAPHICAL  MEMOIR" -Continued.        • 

D. — "Part  third:   Selkirk  settlement;  its  foundation,  institutions,  and  agri- 
culture," (G.)  '^-' 

I.  Preface. 

II.  Early  settlement:  (G.) 

1.  In  1805  Lord  Selkirk  (in  order  to  console  Great  Britain  for  her  loss  of  the 

American  colonies)  wrote  a  work  to  prove  the  superiority  of  this  over 
every  part  of  the  United  States,  (G.) 

2.  In  1811  Lord  Selkirk  obtained  from  the  Hudson  Bay  Company  a  grant  of 

this  district. 

3.  In  1812  (autumn)  an  effort  to  colonize  was  prevented  by  men  of  the  North- 

west Company  in  disguise  of  Indians. 


f 


[8H  AMER. 
:   OP  THE 

Bay  Corn- 


)  Hudson 
id  for  ob- 


al  Charles 
d."— (G.) 


covery  of 
e.  There 
irlevoix," 

V  France, 
[  forts, 
i  title  to 

of  "Hud- 


md  agri- 


OSS  of  the 
this  over 

I  grant  of 

16  North- 


4 


i 


AND  NORTHWEST   BRITISH    AMERICA. 


15 


4.  In  1815  another  effort  to  colonize  rendered  abortive  by  the  same  North- 

west Company,  (G.) 
■5.  In  1816  Lord  Selkirk  arrives  with  a  military  escort,  and  retrieves  the  for- 
tunes of  the  colonists. 

6.  In  1817  colony  (again)  broken  up,  in  consequence  of  scarcity  of  seeds. 

7.  In  1818  and  1819  crops  were  consumed  by  grasshoppers,  (G.) 

8.  In  1820  and  1821  prosperity  appears  to  dawn  upon  the  Selkirkers. 

9.  In  1825  and  1826  numoers  are  cfestroyed  by  the  scarcity  of  bison  and  fuel. 

10.  In  1826  flood  of  Red  River  sweeps  away  barns,  dwellings,  &c.,  (G.) 

11.  In  1852  occurs  another  and  a  greater  flood. 

12.  In  1859  gold  is  discovered  at  sources  of  Saskatchewan,  (G.) 

III.  Institutions  of  Selkirk  settlement :  (G.) 

1.  Government : 

a.  Executive  is  vested  in  the  officer  in  command  at  Fort  Garry. 

b.  Legislative,  in  the  clergy. 

c.  Judicial,  in  leading  citizens. 

2.  Religion : 

a.  Catholics,  10,000.  . 

b.  Presbyterians,  1,000. 

e.  Church  edifices  at  Red  River  numerous. 

3.  Education :  (G.) 

a.  Schools  numerous. 

b.  A  public  library. 

c.  A  newspaper. 

IV.  Climatic  adaptation  to  agriculture  :  (G.) 

1.  Very  cold ;  but  annual  mean  temperature  higher  than  same  parallel  in 

western  Europe. 
a.  The  excessive  cold  of  five  winter  months  reduces  the  annual  mean. 

2.  It  has,  elsewhere,  already  been  stated  that  vegetation  is  rapid  in  the  suit- 

able seasons. 

3.  Red  River  winter  nearly  as  mild  as  St.  Paul's. 

a.  Atmosphere  clear  and  dry. 

b.  Indians  camp  out  in  winter  under  Buffalo  skins  ;  horses  run  at  lai'ge 

and  fatten  in  winter. 
■   4.  Red  River  spring :  ' 

a.  Opens  same  time  as  St.  Paul's,  viz  :  April  and  May. 

b.  The  transition  from  winter  to  spring  abrupt. 

5.  Red  River  summer : 

a.  Warmer  than  western  Illinois,  western  Wisconsin,  western  Canada, 
and  northern  New  York. 

V.  Agricultural  capacity  of  summer  months :  (G.) 

1.  Wheat  requires  a  mean  temperature  from  62°  to  65°  for  July  and  August. 

2.  Corn  requires  less. 

3.  Now  the  mean  temperature  of  Red  river  is  67°   76'. — (Vide  map  of  this 

synopsis  at  end  of  document,  for  northernmost  isothorm  for  wheat,  &c. 

VI.  Bountiful  summer  rains  :  (G.) 

1.  In  the  belt  between  the  Rocky  mountains  and  Red  River  the  mean  rain 

fall  z=  6  inches. 

2.  Amply  sufficient,  for  neither  of  the  following  has  more : 

a.  England ;  .      . 

b.  Prussia; 

c.  The  Crimea,  or 

,    f.  .    d.  Interior  Russia.  ^  ,, 


16  RELATIONS  BETWEEN   THE   UNITED   STATES 

VII.  Results  of  agriculturo  at  Red  River  aettlcmcnt :  (G.) 

1.  Indian  corn : 

a.  Cultivated  in  small  garden  patches. 

2.  Wheat: 

a.  Requires  for  July  and  August  a  minimum  mean  temperature  of  62° 

to  65°. 

b.  The  whole  region  between  Red  River  and  Rocky  mountains  lies  in 

temperature  between  65°  to  67°. 

c.  Tiiis  mean  equals  the  most  fertile  districts  of  New  England,  New 

York,  iVnuaylvania,  Michigan,  Wisconsin,  and  Minnesota. 

d.  Cultivated  plants  yield  their  gi-eatest  product  near  the  northernmost 

limit  of  their  growth. — (G.) 

a.  This  law  vipplies  especially  to  wheat. — (Vide  map  of  this  synop- 
sis at  end  of  document.) 

VIII.  Instances  of  the  wheat  product  of  Red  River : 

1.  yield,  40  to  60  bushels  per  acre  :  (G.) 

a.  Red  River,  say 40  bushels  per  acre. 

*.  Minnesota 20 

c.  Wisconsin 14         "  " 

d.  Pennsylvania 15         "  " 

e.  Massachusetts 16        "  '• 

IX.  Oats,  barley,  rye,  potatoes  : 

1*  At  Red  River  barley  yields  enormous  returns,  (about  55  pounds  per  bushel.) 

2.  The  whole  gi-oup  of  subordinate  cereals  follow  wheat,  but  are  less  restricted 

in  their  range,  going  5°  beyond  wheat  in  the  Mackenzie  valley,  towards 
the  Arctic  circle. 

3.  Oats  thrive  well. 

4.  Potatoes  particularly  fine. 

X.  Hay :  this  is  a  great  grazing  country :  (G.) 

1.  In  1856  Red  River  contained  9,253  homed  cattle ;  2,799  horses. 

2.  Sheep  healthy  and  productive,  (fleeces  2  to  3^  pounds.) 

-   "-'y  ■         E. 

CONTINUATION  OF  "GEOGRAPHICAL  MEMOIR  OF  NORTHWEST  BRITISH  AMER- 
ICA, AND  ITS  RELATIONS  TO  THE  REVENUE  AND  COMMERCE  OF  THE 
UNITED  STATES." 

E  a.  "Part  fourth :   The  gold  discoveries  of  northwest  British  America,  and 

their  influence:" 

I.  "Cariboo  Diggings,"  on  Frazer  river:  (G.) 

II.  The  most  extraordinary  discoveries  are  north  of  latitude  53°,  and  in  the 

average  longitude  of  120°  west  longitude,  (from  meridian  of  Greenwich.) 

III.  Speedy  establishment  of  commercial  relations  eastwardly  along  the  Sas- 

katchewan with  the  Mississippi  and  Lake  Superior. 

IV.  Predicted  colonization,  at  an  early  period,  of  the  coast  and  archipelago  in 

same  latitude,  and  quite  to  the  north  of  Vancouver  island.     Already  ex- 
plorations of  Queen  Charlotte's  island  are  progressing :  (G.) 

V.  Great  social  and  industrial  changes  in  northwest  British  America  predicted. 

E  b.  Cotnjfendium  of  a  special  report  in  reference  to  the  discovery  of  gold  on 

the  Saskatchewan  river :  (G.) 

I.  D.  F.  McLaurin,  known  to  be  a  man  of  veracity,  and  T.  M.  Love,  lately  in 
the  employment  of  Mr.  Campbell,  American  minister  for  the  survey  and 


F. 


AND   NORTHWEST    BRITISH    AMERICA. 


17 


(I 


I 


» I 


location  of  the  northern  bonndiiry,  have  arrived  in  St.  Paul  from  the 
headwatorfl  of  the  Frnzer  river,  in  I^riti^h  Cohimhia.  They  produce  70 
ounces  of  gohl  dust,  all  of  which  was  found  on  the  west  side  of  the 
mountains  ;  but  they  also  assert  that  in  many  places  on  the  Saskatclie- 
wan,  between  Fort  Edmonton  and  the  Ilocky  Mountain  House,  they  suc- 
cessfully prospected  for  gold,  '♦  raising  the  color"  fn^quently,  but  with 
no  return  exceeding  one  cent  to  the  pan,  or  five  dollars  a  day.  Such 
were  the  indications,  however,  that,  with  their  experience  on  the  Pacific, 
even  this  moderate  result  encourages  Messrs.  McLaurin  and  Love  to 
return  with  a  year's  supply  of  provisions,  having  left  two  companies  on 
the  upper  Saskatchewan.  They  express  confidence  that  an  extensive 
auriferous  region  exists  cast  of  the  Ilocky  mountains,  between  49°  and 
55°  north  latitude.  If  so,  its  occupation  by  adventurers  will  be  hastened 
by  the  following  circumstances,  "hitherto  indicated  by  me  in  former 
communications,  and  which  I  propose  to  more  fully  illustrate  in  my 
general  report  to  the  department." — (  Vide  G,  ante.) 

II.  "  The  Grand  Rapids  of  the  Saskatchewan  are  no  obstacle  to  navigation. 

III.  Probable  results  of  a  gold  fever  in  the  Saskatchewan  region  : 

1.  An  act  of  Parliament,  organizing  a  crown  colony  northwest  of  Minnesota, 

with  an  inhabitable  area  of  300,000  square  miles, 
a.  A.  union  of  all  the  American  provinces  of  England,  having  for  a  prominent 

object  a  common  highway  from  ocean  to  ocean  on  British  territory. 
3.  An  overland  mail  and  colonization,  preliminary  to  a  Pacific  railroad :  (D.) 

IV.  "One  thing  is  very  apparent:   Unless  the   English   government   shall 

promptly  respond  to  the  manifest  destiny  of  the  great  interior  of  British 
America — the  basin  of  Lake  Winnipeg — the  speedy  Americanization  of 
that  fertile  district  is  inevitable  :  (D.) 

E. 

ExHierT  G. 

CONCLUSION    OF    "OEOaRAPHICAL   MEMOIR   OF    NORTHWEST   BRITISH 

AMERICA,  &c.— (G.) 

F.  "Partjifth:  Relations  of  Northwest  British  Ametica  to  the  Uti^  ted  States : 

I.  Present  relations,  those  of  physict'il  geography  merely. 

II.  (Anticipated)  commercial  and  political  results. 

III.  The  communications  through  Hudson  bay  and  Lake  Superior  are  of  dan- 

gerous navigation  and  limited  duration. 

IV.  Minnesota  route  to  Rocky  mountains  :  (G.) 

1.  Railway  to  Red  River. 

2.  Steamers  by  Lake  Winnipeg  and  the  Saskatchewan. 

3.  The  best  and  most  conducive  to  the  prosperity  of  the  Saskatchewan  and 

Selkirk  settlements. 

4.  La  Crosse,  Wisconsin,  the  present  limit  of  the  United  States  railroad  sys- 

tem ;  thence, 
a.  Steamers  to  St.  Paul ;  thence, 
h.  Land  transportation,  250  miles ;  thence, 
c.  From  Georgetown,  on  Red  river,  steamers  to  Fort  Garry. 

V.  A  London  company  already  organized  to  establish  an  overland  mail :  (G.) 
1.  Steamers  ought  to  be  immediately  constructed,  to  ply  to  Fort  Garry,  for 

the  year  1863. 

VI.  "  It  would  be  an  instance  of  well-directed  legislation  for  the  Congress  of 

the  United  States  and  the  British  Parliament  to  unite  in  a  liberal 
subsidy — say  $200,000  by  eath  government — for  the  transmission 

H.  Ex.  Doc.  146 2 


18 


RELATIONS    HEX  WEEN   THE   UNITED    STATES 


of  u  weekly  iiinil  from  tiic  liniitH  of  imvij^Hfion  on  tlio  MirtHinnippi 
aiul  tlie  Hrltinh  count  of  Lake  Sujicrior,  by  nn  intPiimtioiial  route 
to  the  centres  of  the  f?ohl  diHtrictH  of  ]triti)«]i  Cohimbia  and  Wash- 
ington Territory." 
1.  8t.  Lawrence  ami  great  hiker*  fiirnis]i  an  ehMjuent  piecedent :  (G.) 


Ex  III  HIT    A. 

In  tiik  IIolsi:  of  Rkphhskntativks  U.  S.,  May  20,  18G2. 

Resolved,  Tliat  tlie  Hecretary  of  tlie  Treasury  he,  and  lierehy  is,  requested 
to  communicate  to  tliis  House  any  information  in  the  poHsession  of  his  depart- 
ment which  ho  may  judge  to  he  in  a  fonn  suitable  for  the;  consideration  of  the 
House  of  Representatives  upon  tlie  relations  between  the  United  Htates  and 
the  Northwest  British  America,  particularly  the  central  district  of  the  lied 
River  of  the  North  and  the  Saskatchewan. 


Exhibit  B. 

Trkasiry  Department,  March  9,  1861. 

8lR  :  In  reply  to  your  communication  of  the  8th  instant,  I  have  to  instruct 

JrovL  to  proceed  to  the  completion  of  the  report  referred  to,  in  regard  to  the  "  re- 
ations  of  the  revenue  system  of  the  United  States  to  British  America,  northwest 
of  Minnesota."  You  will  please  xtate,  for  the  department's  infonnation,  the 
time  in  Avhich  it  will  probably  be  completed. 

I  am,  &c.,  S.  P.  CHASE, 

Secretary  of  the  Treasury. 
James  W.  Taylor,  E8(|., 

Special  Agent,  8fc.,  Washington,  D.  C. 


Exhibit  C  a. 

Saint  Paul,  July  10,  18G1. 

Sir  :  By  a  communication  from  the  Treasury  Department,  dated  March  8, 
1861,  I  was  instructed  to  proceed  with  a  report  previously  undertaken  upon  the 
relations  of  trade  and  revenue  between  the  United  States  and  the  districts  of 
Central  British  America,  extending  from  Canada  to  the  Rocky  mountains,  and 
to  communicate  to  the  department  the  period  required  for  making  said  report. 

Having  occasion,  in  the  general  discharge  of  the  duties  assigned  to  me,  to 
forward  an  abstract  of  recent  revenue  laws  at  Selkirk,  on  the  Red  river,  I  beg 
leave  to  inform  the  department  that  I  expect  to  present  my  general  report  on  or 
before  the  first  day  of  the  regular  session  of  Congress. 

In  preparing  this  paper,  I  desire  the  privilege  of  recapitulating  some  of  the 
contents  of  special  reports  made  by  me  from  time  to  time,  but  which  are  more 
adapted  for  the  information  of  the  department  tlian  for  publication. 

Having  reason  to  believe  that  wliat  is  known  to  the  English  and  Canadian 
people  as  the  "  Red  River  and  Saskatchewan  districts  of  British  America"  will 
be  speedily  organized,  with  the  powerful  co-operation  of  the  Hudson  Bay  Com- 
pany, as  a  crown  colony  of  England,*  and  that  active  measures  for  its  coloniza- 
tion in  the  interest  of  a  continental  confederation  of  the  provinces,  and  a  railroad 


Her 


TfT 


AND   NOUTIIWEST    UKITISH    AMERICA. 


1!^ 


or 


I 


from  Lake  Superior  to  the  Paeifie,  north  of  otir  homuhiry,  will  promjitly  fnllow. 
I  am  Holicit<»UH  to  jtre.>icnt  to  tlie  American  {government  and  peoph'  a  full  and 
Hatinfactory  compilation  of  the  natural  reKourcoH,  present  civil  and  connnercial 
organizations,  and  future  n'latiourt  of  the  intercHting  region  in  (jueHtion,  with 
which  circumstances  have  made  me  familiar.  In  thin  connexion,  I  nhall  urge 
that  no  unnecessary  restrictions  shall  be  imposed  upon  the  ijitercourse,  alreatly 
very  considerable  in  extent,  between  the  States  of  the  northwest  and  this  rising 
dominion  of  England  upon  the  waters  of  Lake  Winnipeg. 

Thua  animated,  I  am  now  occupied  with  what  will  prove,  if  published,  a 
document  of  300  pages,  and  which  I  shall  submit  to  the  department  at  the  earliest 
possible  moment.  It  will  constitute  the  reiMjrt  above  rciferred  to.  I  desiir  to 
return  my  acknowledgments  to  the  head  of  the  Treasury  Department  for  the 
opportunity  of  preparing  and  presenting  it  for  his  consideration. 

In  conclusion,  as  some  confirmation  of  the  views  often  ad"anced  by  me  within 
the  last  five  years,  and  which  will  be  elaborat(  .  in  my  i  ihcoming  report,  I 
here  present  an  extract  from  a  late  publication  of  lie)  Dan.y  McOee,  the  ac- 
complished member  of  the  Canadian  parliament  from  Mositreal,  who  may  soon 
(judging  from  late  electiouB)  succeed  to  a  seat  in  the  Canadian  ministry.  ^Ir. 
McGee  says : 

"  I  have  always  felt  an  active,  living  interest  in  everything  that  concerns 
what  is  usually  called  among  us  '  the  Red  River  country.*  In  the  very  heart 
of  the  continent,  on  a  territory  500,000  square  miles  in  extent,  where  Lord 
Selkirk,  half  a  cfentury  ago,  declared  there  was  field  enough  for  a  population 
of  ;J0,000,000  souls,  the  only  speck  of  settlement  is  some  7,000  or  8,000  of  our 
fellow-subjects  in  and  about  Fort  Gui*ry.  No  American  conununity  has  ever  un- 
dergone a  stenier  apprenticeship  to  fortune,  or  been  so  unwisely  underrated  by 
imperial  and  Canadian  statesmen.  The  greater  part,  if  not  all  that  region  was  an 
integral  part  of  Canada  at  the  conquest,  and  to  Canada  the  people  of  the  Selkirk 
settlement  most  naturally  looked  for  protection  against  the  monopolizing  policy 
of  the  Hudson  Bay  Company.  It  is  not  creditable  to  us  to  be  forced  to  admit 
that  hitherto  they  have  looked  this  way  in  vain.  No  Canadian  can  have  read 
with  satisfaction  the  latest  intelligence  from  that  kindred  community ;  no  Cana- 
dian can  learn  with  satisfaction  that  it  was  left  for  the  infant  State  of  Minnesota, 
with  a  census  not  exceeding  altogether  this  little  island  of  Montreal,  to  do  for 
them  what  they  naturally  expected  from  us ;  that  while  Ave  were  inteiTogating 
our  ministers  as  to  their  policy  on  the  Hudson  Bay  question  the  Americans 
from  St.  Paul  were  steaming  down  to  Fort  Garry.  It  is  not  the  first  time  that 
we  have  received  a  lesson  in  enterprise  from  our  republican  neighbors.  To  be 
our  leaders  on  our  own  soil,  though  creditable  to  them,  is  surely  not  in  this  case 
particularly  honorable  to  us. 

"  That  Red  River  country,  let  me  observe,  is  no  inhospitable  desert,  repugnant 
to  the  increase  of  the  human  race.  Modern  science  has  exploded  the  ancient 
error  that  climate  is  detennined  b;y  the  latitude.  The  best  authority  on  the 
climatology  of  our  continent  (Mr.  Lorin  Blodgett)  has  pointed  out  the  existence 
of  a  vast  wedge-shaped  tract,  extending  from  the  47"^  to  the  60°  of  northern 
latitude,  10°  of  longitude  deep  at  the  base,  containing  500,000  square  miles  of 
habitable  land,  subject  to  few  and  inconsiderable  variations  of  climate.  This  au- 
thor gives  a  summer  of  ninety-five  days  to  Toronto,  and  of  ninety  days  to  Cum- 
berland House,  in  54°  north.  Mr.  Simon  Dawson,  from  personal  observation, 
compares  the  climate  of  Fort  Garry  to  that  of  Kingston.  I'rofcssor  Hind  places 
its  annual  mean  temperature  at  8°  lower  than  that  of  Toronto,  for  though  the 
fall  of  rain  is  17  inches  more,  the  fall  of  snow  is  33  inches  less,  than  at  Toronto. 
Herds  of  buffiilo  winter  in  the  woodland  as  far  north  as  the  00°  parallel ;  Indian 
corn  grows  on  both  banks  of  the  Saskatchewan ;  Avheat  sown  in  the  valley  of 
the  Red  River  early  in  May  is  gathered  in  by  the  end  of  August.  The  altitude 
and  aspect  of  the  country  nourish  in  it  a  temperature  which  one  Avould  not  ex- 


M  RELATIONS    HKTWEEN   THE   UNITED   8TATES 

pcct  to  fiiul  HO  fur  noithwiinl.  Mlonj^ctt  ni<ffitrt  that  Hpriiij;  otM.'Uri  uIino«t  niinul- 
tiiiU'OUHly  along  tin*  vartt  plains  frnni  Ht.  Paul  to  tlie  MacKonzit!  rivi-r;  and 
aHHunidly  whore  cattle  can  winter  ont,  where  the  riverH  are  generally  lre»'  of  ice 
hy  the  lirHt  week  of  May,  where  wheat  can  he  grown  '  twe-nty  years  in  huc- 
ceHrtion  without  exhaunting  the  Hoil,'  lh(!n'  niunt  he  something  wofully  wrong 
in  the  Hynteni  of  ruh-  when,  after  tifty  yearn  of  .xetth-njent,  we  find  a  total  popu- 
lation of  IcHH  than  10,000  houIh  !  'llie  lake  and  river  nyHteni  of  that  region  arc 
ahnoHt  M  wonderful  as  our  own.  Lake  Winnipeg  has  an  area  caual  to  Erie, 
and  Lake  Mauitohah  nj^arly  half  that  of  Winnipeg.  In  the  vaUeyH  of  the 
Sartkatchewan  and  Aflninihoin  l*r(»f«'Hsor  Hind  estimates  that  there  are  ahovo 
1  LOGO, 000  acres  •  of  arable  land  of  the  first  (luality.'  Of  this  region  about  ono- 
half  is  prairio  to  one-half  woodland ;  it  is  tlie  only  cxtensiv(r  prairie  country 
open  to  us  east  of  the  Rocky  mountains,  and  if  justice*  was  even  now  done  it,  it 
would  bcconie  the  Illinois  or  Iowa  of  our  future  Hritish-Amcrican  nationality. 

"  And  this  country  is  not  only  valuable  in  itself,  but  valuable  for  that  to 
which  it  leads.  The  distance  from  a  given  jioint  on  our  side  of  Lake  Suj>crior 
to  navigable  water  on  Frazer  river,  in  British  Columbia,  does  not  exceed  2,000 
miles,  about  twice  the  distance  between  Boston  and  Chicago.  It  lias  been 
shown  by  every  explorer  how,  with  some  inconsiderable  aids  from  art,  a  con- 
tinuous steamboat  navigation  might  be  obtained  from  Lak(^  Winnipeg  to  the 
baB((  of  the  Rocky  mountains.  By  these  aids,  and  corresponding  improvemcnte 
on  the  other  side  of  tiic  mountains,  Toronto  might  be  brought  witliin  ten  or 
twelve  days  of  British  Columbia.  But  there  is  a  more  imuortaiit  consideration 
still  connected  with  the  territory,  for  we  now  know  that  tnrough  its  prairies  is 
to  be  found  the  shortest  and  best  railroad  route  to  the  Pacific.  Every  one  can 
understand  that  the  American  route  from  western  Europe  to  Asia,  which  lies 
farthest  to  the  north,  must  be  the  most  direct.  Any  one  glancing  at  a  globe  will 
see  where  the  46°  parallel  leads  the  eye,  from  the  heart  of  Germany,  through 
the  British  channel,  across  to  the  Gulf  of  St.  Lawrence,  and  from  our  Gulf  west- 
ward to  the  Saskatchewan,  to  Vancouver's  island,  the  Cuba  of  the  North  Pacific, 
imd  from  Vancouver  to  the  rich  and  populous  archipelago  of  Japan.  This  course 
was  demonstrated  by  Captain  Synge  to  be  2,000  miles  shorter  between  London 
and  Hong  Kong  than  any  other  in  existence ;  it  has  but  one  formidable  engi- 
neering difficulty  to  be  overcome — an  elevation  of  6,000  feet  above  the  sea  level — 
in  crossing  the  Rocky  mountains  into  British  Columbia.  Such,  at  least,  is  the 
carefully  guarded  statement  of  Mr.  Stevens,  the  late  American  governor  of  Wash- 
ington Territory,  and  such  is  said  to  be  the  result  arrived  at  by  Captain  Palliscr's 
more  recent  explorations.  By  a  short  tunnel  at  the  favorable  pass  the  elevation 
may  be  reduced  to  5,000  feet,  '  whose  gradients,'  it  has  been  calculated,  •  need 
not  exceed  sixty  feet  per  mile  from  the  head  of  Lake  Superior  to  Puget's  sound.' 
An  elevation  of  5,000  feet  is  not  an  insuperable  obstacle,  as  has  been  shown  at 
Mount  Cenis  and  the  AUeghanies.  (On  the  Philadelphia  and  Pittsburg  road,  at 
Altoona,  the  gradient  of  96  feet  to  the  mile  has  been  found  practicable.)  The 
name  '  Rocky  mountains'  is  more  formidable  to  the  ear  than  to  the  engineer ;  as 
the  latitude  has  misled  us  with  regai'd  to  climate,  so  the  altitude  has  been  over- 
rated with  regard  to  cost ;  but  the  science  of  this  age  once  entered  upon  any 
experiment,  will  neither  be  deterred  by  regions  represented  as  uninhabitable 
nor  by  mountains  reputed  to  he  impassable." 

Respectfully  submitted. 

JAMES  W.  TAYLOR. 
Hon.  S.  P.  Chase, 

Secretary  of  the  Treasury/,  :     •     ' 


I 

tl 
ai 
t( 


AND  \0RTirwi:.4T  imiTiHir  amkrica 


2r 


Kxiiiiiir  C  b. 

Saint  1'ai  i„  July  1(»,  IHOI. 

Hill:  I  ciu'loHc  (appftidt'd  and  iiiarkrd  A)  an  utithciitic  i'(»i»y  (tf  "An  at-t 
panned  hy  x\\v  pivcrnor  and  couniil  of  AcninilMtia  Marili  14,  18G1,"  pre- 
Hi-rihiiif;  a  tarift'  and  rcvcnuo  rcjjfulationH  for  the  Red  Itivtr  diHtrict  of  (!«'ntnil 
Hritinli  America. 

Its  leading  features  are  an  folio wn  : 

1.  A  levy  (»f  four  per  cent,  ad  rulorcm  duty  upon  all  inijiortationn,  whether 
from  Enjjiand  th(^  United  Staten,  or  elsewhere,  "estimated  at  the  price  curn'iit 
of  the  original  place  of  vxport,  Jiondon,  New  York,  &c."  (ioodn  introduced 
from  Chicaj^o  or  Haint  Paul,  it  in  prenumed,  wouhl  lie  charf,'ed  only  at  N<!W 
York  cont. 

2.  Section  one  tnumernten  a  lilxTal  free  lint  connisting  of  thirteen  itemn. 

.'J.  By  neetion  nix  "a  duty  of  five  nhillin^n  nterling  per  ;;allon  in  hnponed  upon 
all  fennented  nnd  npirituous  liquorn  impf»rted  into  the  lied  River  Hcttth'Uiontn, 
except  Kuch  an  nliall  he  proved  to  have  been  directly  importe<l  from  the  United 
Kin{i;dom  hy  the  connignee. 

4.  By  neetion  four,  jjarties  transporting  niorchnndinc  beyond  the  dintrict  of 
Anniniboin  (which  in  limited  to  the  valleyn  of  the  lied  Iliver  of  the  North  and 
its  principal  tributary,  the  Apniniboia,)  are  exempted  from  the  j>ayment  of 
dutien  on  the  execution  of  a  trannp<irtation  bond.  Thin  j>rovinion  embraces  the 
American  outfits  for  tho  fur  trade  (tf  the  Saskatdiewan  region,  which  in  already 
attracting  considerablo  attention. 

The  regidationn  for  tho  cfdlcction  of  tho  revenue  are  ample,  but  do  not  require 
recapitulation. 

This  system  of  revenue  is  now  in  force.  It  is  generally  satisfactory  to  all 
parties  interested,  except  the  discrimination  in  favor  of  English  liquors.  I 
append,  marked  B,  some  forcible  criticism  in  tliis  respect  by  the  ^or* wester 
newspaper,  published  at  Fort  Garry,  tho  centre  of  the  lied  River  set^'.ment. 

Respectfully  submitted. 

JAMES  W.  TAYLOR 

Hon.  S.  P.  Chase, 

Secretary  of  the  Treasury. 


Revenue  laws  passed  hy  the  governor  and  council  of  Assiniboia  on  the  lith 
V?,  JWrtrcA,  1861. 

To  secure  the  more  efficient  and  equitable  collection  of  the  revenue,  it  is — 
Resolved,  I.  That  all  goods  imported  into  the  district  of  Assiniboia,  from  any 

{)art  of  the  British  dominions,  or  from  any  foreign  country,  shall  be  subject  to  a 
evy  of  four  per  cent,  ad  valorem  duty,  to  be  estimated  at  the  price  current  of 
the  original  place  of  export,  London  or  New  York,  &c.,  excepting  such  articles 
as  shall  be  otherwise  specified.     The  following  shall  be  admitted  free  from  cus 
toms  duty,  viz : 


1.  All  iron  and  steel,  cast  or  malleable,  wrought  or  unwronght. 

2.  All  books  and  publications,  whether  imported  for  use  or  merchandise. 

3.  All  scientific  instruments  and  mechanical  tools. 

4.  All  agricultural  machines  and  implements.  ' 


22 


RKhATIOXS    METWEKN    TIIK    I  NITED   HTATEH 


.1.  All  \iiiiiii»n*',  nil  ii|i|»arcl  aiitl  iit('iir«ilH  tliiit  liuvr  linn  m  me  in  proHciit  uro 

(if    tllC  OWIICIl*. 

(i.  All  HcnU,  rodtrt,  or  |»liuitrt,  l(i»(lin;j;  to  tin-  iiii|n<ivfmnit  of  a;,'iii'ultiin'. 
7.  All  Mtationcry  ainl  hcIumiI  clatfH. 

N.  All  uiioiiciirM  |ta('k«;;t':*  oi'  f,'i»o(l«  orij^itmlly  (IcHtiiitil  lor  iiari.'  not  within 
the  (liKtrift  oj  AHHiiiihoiii. 

9.  All  cancr*.  hoxcH,  l)iirrcln,  ImttlcK,  or  cloth  covfriiif;,  which  contain  jjoodn  or 
HnidH  of  any  <h'fcri|ition. 

10.  Moiiinncntal  tnhlctrt  or  tonihntoiutrt. 

11.  All  (^rintUtonci*. 

Iri.  All  i*kin«,  pcltricn,  |»«rclinu'nt,  tintAinuil  hatlitr,  and  nil  jirodncc  of  the 
cliat>(;  jicncrnlly. 

13.  All  ^'Ofidrt  j;ratnitonr<ly  ^ivcn,  and  origiindly  designed  for  the  licnt'tit  of 
the  Indian  niinnionH  of  Un|M-rtV  Land. 

II,  There  t^hall  lie  foin*  colhctorn  of  cnstonis,  rei^iding  sevenilly  at  each  ex- 
treme nnd  middle  of  the  nettlement  and  nt  White  Ilorne  I'lnin-s,  who«e  resi- 
denccH  hIuiII  he  honker*  of  clearance.  A  collector  of  cnntoniH  nhall  have  power 
to  admininter  oatliH,  to  nearch  for  nnd  H<>i/(^  contrahand  goodie,  nnd  to  {iro^ecnto 
dofuultorH;  he  nliall  hnve  power  to  call  constalilcrt  and  all  loynl  Hnlijei't>  of  her 
Ikitnnnic  Maji^rtty  tt  Iuk  aid,  and  all  pernonrt,  not  conntaldeH,  n»  called  upon, 
hIiuII  he  paid  liy  the  collector,  at  the  pnblic  expense,  an  Hpccial  conrttablert  ex- 
traordinary, Htty,  tea  Hhillingit  per  diem.  A  collector  of  curttomrt  Hhall  hnve 
Sower  to  exnct  and  rccciv(!  paymentrt  of  cutntomH  duty  and  to  give  receipt.^  in 
i^charge  of  the  »ume.  He  shftll,  twice  in  every  month,  pay  into  the  hando  of 
the  governor,  who  irt  ex-officio  rt-ceiver  general,  all  reveuuert  received  hy  him, 
together  with  a  list  of  the  persons  paying,  and  the  value  of  the  goods  on  which 
the  duty  has  loeu  paid.  That  eoch  collector  shall,  once  every  week,  transmit 
to  the  next  clearance  house  a  list  of  all  clearances  made  hy  him.  Each  collector 
shall  have  an  annual  salary  of  forty  pounds  sterling,  besides  being  entitled  to 
one-fifth  part  of  the  proceeds  of  all  seizures  he  shall  make  or  cause  to  be  made. 

III.  Every  person  bringing  goods  liable  to  duty  into  the  district  of  Assinl- 
boia,  whether  owner,  agent,  or  conductor,  shall  be  provided  with  an  invoice  or 
manifest,  which  shall  combine,  with  the  name  of  the  consignee,  an  accurate  ac- 
count of  the  quantity  and  prime  cost  of  all  goods  contained  in  any  carriage, 
vehicle,  or  vessel,  or  any  conveyance  whatsoever,  whether  by  land  or  water. 
This  invoice  or  manifest  shall  be  attested  by  tlie  signatun;  of  the  owner  or  his 
representative,  and  on  arrival  within  the  settlement  it  shall  be  produced  to  the 
collector,  who  may  verify  its  accuracy  by  an  oath  administered  to  the  party,  or 
by  examination  of  the  goods,  opening  packages  if  necessary.  On  being  there- 
with satisfied  he  shall  exact  payment  of  the  duty,  or,  at  his  discretion,  accept  a 
bond  payable  for  the  amount  within  a  period  of  not  more  than  three  months — 
which  bond  may  be  sued  for  and  recovered  the  same  as  any  other  controct  debt. 

The  collector,  on  receiving  satisfaction  for  the  duty  as  above  defined,  shall 
write  on  the  back  of  the  manifest  the  words  "Examined  and  passed,"  attaching 
his  signature  and  the  date  thereof,  and  this  shall  be  held  as  a  sufficient  clear- 
ance. 

Be  it  observed  that  in  any  case  where  the  want  of  a  nmnifest  is  or  has  been 
unavoidable,  the  collector  may  accept  of  the  sworn  declaration  of  the  party  as 
to  the  value  of  the  goods,  or  otherwise  satisfy  himself  of  their  value. 

IV.  Every  owner  or  importer  or  consignee  of  goods  shall,  within  twenty -four 
hours  of  the  arrival  of  such  goods,  exhibit  his  manifest  (if  not  already  cleared) 
to  the  collectors  of  customs,  and  any  owner,  importer,  or  consignee  of  goods 
failing  to  do  so,  shall,  in  addition  to  the  duty,  forfeit  a  sum  of  not  more  than 
fifty  pounds  sterling,  or  less,  at  the  discretion  of  the  court,  Avhich  penalty  may 
be  sued  for  and  recovered  in  the  same  manner  as  a  contract  debt ;  and  any 


AND   NOKTHWE8T    IJRITISH    AMKRK'A. 


23 


pmkiip-  or  pHxIrt  ill  Imlk  not  «>iitfr<><l  into  any  nianitrHt  hIkiII  Im-  nrixcd  hh  con- 
ti'nl>aii(l  anil  fortritnl  to  tli<'  (^Mircn.or  to  tin-  ptvrrnor  and  coiini-il  nctinf?  in  lu'i* 
nniiH- ;  and  in  the  rvt-nt  of  any  imthoii  t'ct'uHin^  to  hIiow  liit*  invoiiM'  or  niiinitrftt, 
or  n't'uriin^  to  pay  tin-  duty  or  to  pvt-  n  liond  tor  the  imynn-nt  of  tli«>  nnnio,  tin- 
collector  hliall  he  iintlioriKcd  to  ncixc  all  liin  ptodr*  nn  coiitral)and. 

Any  pcrHoii  making  a  t'alHf  declaration  under  an  oatli  adniinirttered  Ity  a  col- 
lector may  Im  indict«'(l  tor  wilt'nl  |(erjnry. 

I'erHoiiH  claiming;  exemption  from  dnty  hecunne  of  their  ^ood^  beinp;  dentined 
for  partH  lieyond  the  circle  of  AHninihoia  nliall  ^ivo  n  hond  not  to  dinpone  of 
any  »4ucli  ^oodn,  nor  open  them,  or  allow  them  to  pa^rt  from  their  poHrtCHHioti 
within  the  di»trict,  tnnfer  penalty  of  lialf  the  amount  of  their  invoice,  whicli 
hond  HJiall  he  recoverahle  in  the  name  manner  an  a  contract  <h'ht. 

I'erHourt  h'avin)^  the  settlement  with  ^oodrt  inider  a  IkiiiiI  nhall  call  on  tin;  last 
coMectnr  of  cuntoms  on  their  route,  for  the  purpose  of  havin){  the  said  hond  can- 
celled. 

V.  All  ^^,^^o^\n  lialde  fur  <luty  nhall  he  held  an  contrahand  if,  under  the  follow- 
in}?  circtuurttanceH,  they  are  unprotected  hy  a  clearance : 

1.  If  they  have  heen  within  the  preminert  of  the  proprietor  or  conHi};nee  for 
in»»rc  than  forty-eij^ht  hourn. 

2.  If  tliey  have  heen  opened  or  any  way  disposed  of,  or  otherwise  have 
passed  fiom  the  ori^^inal  importer  or  consifjiu-e. 

'.i.  If  not  heinjif  liahle  for  duty  l)(;caus(!  of  tln-ir  orij^inal  destination  heiug  be- 
yond the  bounds  of  this  district,  they  shall  hav((  heen  opened  or  disposed  of,  or 
iiny  way  have  passed  from  the  possession  of  the  ori}?inal  importer  or  consif;ne(f 
within  the  bounds  (»f  the  district,  all  such  floods,  \niless  otherwise  j)r()vided  for, 
nhall  be  f(»rfeit(Ml  to  the  Quet.-n  l)y  the  {governor  and  council  acting  in  her  name. 
All  goods  HO  seized  shall  be  depositetl  in  the  court-housj',  and  afterwards,  at 
authorized  times,  be  sold  by  public  auction  for  tho  bciu'fit  of  the  revenue, 
leaving  expenses  and  the  rights  of  the  collectors. 

VI.  That  a  duty  of  five  shillings  per  gallon  be  imposed  upon  all  fermeuted 
and  spirituous  liquors  imported  into  the  settlement,  except  such  as  shall  be 
proved  to  have  been  directly  imported  from  the  United  Kingdom  by  tho  con- 
signee. 

The  above  laws  for  regulating  the  collection  of  customs  shall  be  in  force  from 
aud  after  the  first  day  of  April  next  ensuing. 

W.  MACTAVISH,  Gorerfir/r. 


B. 

[From  the  Nor'wester,  (Fort  Garry,)  April  1,  1861.] 
THE  NEW  LAWS. 

A  great  portion  of  our  present  issue  is  occupied  with  the  doings  of  council. 
We  invite  attention  to  the  report  of  their  proceedings  generally,  but  to  the 
revenue  and  liquor  laws  in  particular.  The  Red  River  people  liave  now  the 
result  of  half  a  year's  deliberations — for  that  is  the  interval  since  the  matters 
now  decided  were  first  mooted  in  council — and  they  hav^  it,  too,  in  a  very 
acceptable  fonn,  namely,  printed.  No  manuscript  copies,  this  time,  to  perplex 
anxious  readers ;  the  new  laws  are  printed,  as  should  always  be  the  case,  and 
they  will  be  widely  circulated  through  the  settlement,  in  pamphlet  form  and 
tlirough  the  medium  of  the  Nor'wester.  Extensive  publicity  is  very  impor- 
tant, aud  the  council  will  receive  due  credit  for  discarding  the  absurd  old  system 
of  giving  a  copy  of  their  resolutions  to  each  magistrate,  and  to  nobodv  else. 
Under  such  a  system  not  half  the  people  knew  what  laws  were  passed  by  the 


24 


RELATIONS   BETWEEN    THE    UNITED   STATES 


council,  or  if  ultimately  hearnny  citmc  to  their  nsHiHtaneo,  it  would  bo  so  long 
after  that,  for  au{?lit  they  knew,  the  laws  might  have  been  amended  or  repealed. 
Whatever,  therefore,  may  be  the  merits  or  demeritn  of  the  laws  per  se,  let  the 
councillors  receive  credit  for  making  them  known  throughout  the  length  and 
breadth  of  the  colony. 

Hereafter  we  shall  fully  analyze  these  laws  p.nd  discuss  their  merits ;  at  present 
we  nnist  confine  ourselves  to  what  we  consider  a  very  objectionable  clause  in 
the  revenue  series.  No.  6,  which  imposes  5s.  on  every  gallon  of  licinor  imported 
from  the  States,  but  admits  free  4 11  liquor  from  England.  The  injustice  of  this 
distinction  will  excite  a  general  feeling  of  indignation,  because  it  bears  on  its 
face  evidence  of  that  secret  but  all-powerful  influence  of  the  Hudson  Bay 
Company  over  the  Ked  River  council. 

In  favoring  importations  from  the  mother  country  we  are  but  complying  with 
long-established  usage  and  with  the  dictates  of  patriotism ;  but  this  is  no  suffi- 
cient reason  for  such  a  wholesale,  such  a  sweeping,  distinction  as  the  council 
has  made  in  regard  to  liquor.  To  believe  that  patriotism  prompted  them  to  take 
the  course  they  did  would  require  too  much  faith,  at  the  expense  of  reason  and 
common  sense.  As  a  whole,  the  council  does  not  care  a  sixpence  either  for  the 
manufacturing  interests  or  export  trade  of  Great  Britain,  and,  we  presume,  did 
not  spend  a  thought  about  them  when  framing  this  measure.  Let  us  suppose 
that  they  made  the  distinction  on  the  ground  just  indicated,  namely,  that  the 
liquor  is  British.  We  ask,  then,  why  not  tax  all  American  goods  higher  than 
English  ?  Why  limit  the  heavy  duty  to  liquor  ?  Logic  and  consibtency  alike 
demand  that  the  principle  be  carried  out ;  but  what  is  the  fact  ?  Dry  goods, 
groceries,  and  hardware  come  in  upon  the  same  footing  from  both  countries — 
that  is,  by  paying  four  per  cent,  ad  valorem  duty. 

On  the  other  hand,  if  the  majority  that  voted  to  levy  this  heavy  impost  on 
American  liquor  did  bo  on  the  ground  that  it  injiured  the  best  interests  of  the 
community,  we  say  again  that  the  same  reason  called  for  a  check  on  spirits  im- 
ported from  any  quarter  whatsoever.  The  conclusion  must  follow,  if  you  grant 
the  premises. 

Observe,  we  do  not  object  to  this  5s.  impost ;  we  highly  approve  of  it ;  but 
wo  maintain  that  this  being  done,  the  admission  free  of  intoxicating  beverages 
from  England  cannot  be  defended.  It  is  simply  a  piece  of  favoritism — an  odious 
exhibition  of  selfishness  and  self-interest  on  the  part  of  the  Hudson  Bay 
Company,  and  a  proof  of  the  subserviency  of  our  council  to  that  wealthy  cor- 
poration. We  protest  against  the  law  as  it  stands,  and  in  doing  so  we  but 
speak  the  sentiments  of  the  great  majority  of  the  Red  River  people. 


[From  the  Nor' wester,  April  15  ] 
RSD  RIVER  COUNCIL. 

The  public  have  now  had  time  to  examine  and  consider  the  recent  enactments 
of  council,  and  we  believe  they  will  agree  with  us  in  thinking  that,  on  the  whole, 
they  are  the  most  thorough  and  comprehensive  passed  for  many  a  day.  The 
councillors  are,  fortunately,  roused  to  the  conviction  that  matters  are  in  an  un- 
satisfactory condition,  and,  bowing  to  the  pressure  of  a  stern  public  opinion, 
they  have  diligently  set  themselves  to  allay  dissatisfaction  by  making  timely 
concessions.    This  is  so  far  creditable  for  a  non-elective,  irresponsible  council. 

The  new  tariff  is,  to  a  small  extent,  discriminating ;  so  far,  namely,  as  to 
exempt  a  variety  of  articles  from  all  duty  whatsoever.  This  is  a  decided  im- 
provement, and  we  approve  of  it  in  a  twofold  sense — approve  of  the  principle 
of  exemption  in  itself,  and  of  the  actual  exemptions  made.  In  other  words,  the 
council,  in  our  opinion,  liave  done  wisely  in  resolving  to  admit  certain  articles 


bat 


I 


AND  NORTHWEST    BRITISH   AMERICA. 


25 


duty  frco,  and  hiivc  made  u  judiciotis^  scliction  of  tlio  nrticlc.-*  to  lio  so  iidraittod. 
Wo  would  like  to  have  seen  tins  new  8yr>tem  extended  ho  n.s  to  distinguish  be- 
tween various  classes  of  goods ;  but  as  it  requires  time  and  care  to  do  this  well, 
we  must,  meanwhile,  be  satisfied  Avith  the  instalment  given  us.  A  coiTospondent 
points  out  section  8  of  the  first  resolution  as  being  as  objectionable  as  the  clause 
against  \^  hich  we  protested  in  our  last  number.  He  is  nuito  mistaken.  The 
Cf  mpany  cannot  be  expected  to  pay  duty  on  goods  intended  for  the  interior,  if 
such  goods  be  duly  bonded  through,  and  not  opened  or  disposed  of  within  the 
jurisdiction  of  our  council.  This  privilege  is  everyAvhere  conceded  ;  and  although 
the  section  referred  to  was  evidently  framed  for  the  company's  benefit,  there  it 
no  injustice  in  it.  Very  different,  however,  is  their  imposing  5«.  per  gallon  on  liquor 
from  all  foreign  coimtries,  Avliile  admitting  it  comparatively  free  from  England. 
This  is  an  inexcusable  piece  of  favoritism,  against  which  .ve,  as  impartial  jour- 
nalists, must  protest.  We  by  no  means  desire  the  os.  impost  to  be  diminished 
or  cancelled,  but  we  do  desire  to  have  something  imposed  on  liritish  liquors. 
The  present  distinction  is  too  marked,  too  wide,  too  decided,  to  be  defensible  on 
any  principles  of  honest  legislation. 


Exhibit  D. 

Saint  Paul,  Jul>/  17,  1861. 

Sir:  The  newspapers  at  Saint  Paul  contain  statements  of  the  discovery  of 
gold  on  the  north  branch  of  the  SaskatchcAvan  river. 

These  rumors  originate  as  follows :  D.  F.  3IcLaurin,  fonnerly  a  citizen  of  Min- 
nesota, and  known  to  be  a  man  of  veracity,  and  T.  M.  I.,ove,  lately  in  the  em- 
ployment of  Mr.  Campbell,  the  American  commissioner  for  the  survey  and  loca- 
tion of  the  northern  boundary,  have  arrived  in  Saint  Paul  from  the  lieadAvaters 
of  the  Frazer  river,  in  British  Columbia.  They  prodnce  seventy-six  ounces  of 
gold  dust,  all  of  Avhich  was  found  on  the  Avest  side  of  the  mountains ;  but  they 
also  assert  that  in  many  places  on  the  Saskatchewan,  betAveen  Fort  Edmonton 
and  the  llocky  Mountain  House,  they  successfully  "prospected"  for  gold, 
"raising  the  color"  frequently,  but  Avith  no  return  exceeding  one  cent  to  the 
pauy  or  five  dollars  a  day.  Such  Avere  the  indications,  however,  that  Avith  their 
experience  on  the  Pacific,  CA'en  this  moderate  result  encourages  Messrs.  ]\[cLaurin 
and  Love  to  return  Avith  a  year's  supply  of  provisions,  having  left  tAvo  com- 
panies on  the  upper  SaskatchcAvan.  They  express  confidence  that  an  extensive 
auriferous  regi>.a  exists  east  of  the  Rocky  mountains,  between  latitudes  49 
degrees  and  55  degrees.  If  so,  its  occupation  by  adventurers  Avill  be  hastened 
by  the  following  circumstances  hitherto  indicated  by  me  in  former  communica- 
tions, and  which  I  propose  to  more  fully  illustrate  in  my  general  report  to  the 
department. 

1.  The  eastern  base  of  the  mountains,  including  the  sources  of  the  tAvo  branches 
of  the  SaskatchcAvan,  is  Avell  adapted  to  agriculture — far  more  so  than  the  eastern 
I'iedmont  in  American  territory. 

2.  The  limate  at  Edmonton  is  milder  in  Avinter  than  at  Saint  Paul.  The 
SaskatcheAvan  is  clear  of  ice  in  the  spring  as  soon  as  the  Mississippi  river 
betAveen  St.  Anthony  Falls  and  Galena. 

3.  Steamboat  navigation,  uoav  established  on  the  Red  River  of  the  North,  can 
r(!adily  be  extended  through  Lake  Winnipeg  and  up  the  Saskatchewan  river 
to  Fort  Edmonton,  the  supposed  eastern  limit  of  the  new  gold  district.  I  have 
collected  and  will  present  ample  evidence  that  tlie  Grand  Rapids  (so-called)  of 
the  SaskatcheAvan  is  no  obstacle  to  navigation. 

4.  Full  half  of  the  population  at  Selkirk  settlement — farmers,  voyageurs, 


26 


RELATIONS   BETWEEN   THE   UNITED   STATES 


liimtcrt! — will  promptly  irmove  to  the  mountain  districts.  A  lato  inundation  at 
lied  Riv<'r,  producing  discouragement  in  their  present  homes,  will  stimulate  such 
an  exodus.  The  Minnesota  frontier  will  send  a  <!onsiderablc  re-enforceraent. 
Meagre  as  the  present  information  from  the  upper  Saskatchewan  is,  so  nmch 
can  be  predicted  with  certainty. 

I  anticipate,  also,  if  further  explorations  shall  attract  the  attention  of  the  world 
to  the  sources  of  the  Saskatchewan  and  Athabasca  in  the  same  degree  as  in  1858 
to  Frazer  river,  that  the  scale  will  be  decisively  turned  in  favor  of  the  following 
measures,  which  are  even  now  prominent  at  London : 

1.  An  act  of  Parliament,  organizing  a  crown  colony  norf Invest  of  Minnesota 
Avith  an  inhabitable  area  of  300,000  square  miles. 

2.  An  union  of  all  the  American  provinces  of  England,  having  for  a  prominent 
object  a  common  highway  from  ocean  to  ocean  on  British  territory. 

3.  An  overland  mail,  to  be  speedily  followed  by  colonization  adequate  to  the 
achievement  and  support  of  a  continental  railroad. 

These  measure.]  do  not  recjuire  for  their  consummation  a  gold  excitement ;  they 
are  in  the  natural  and  inevitable  course  of  events ;  but  a  sudden  transit  of 
thousands  of  people;  to  the  region  in  question,  however  stimulated,  would  greatly 
hasten  their  accomplishment. 

On(^  thing  is  very  apparent :  Unless  the  English  govciniment  shall  promptly 
respond  to  the  manifest  destiny  of  the  great  interior  of  British  America — the 
basin  of  Lake  Winnipeg — the  speedy  Americanization  of  that  fertile  district  is 
inevitable.  The  indispensable  requisites  to  the  integrity  of  British  dominion  on 
this  continent  are  such  action  in  behalf  of  the  Saskatchewan  and  Red  River  dis- 
tricts as  the  Frazer  river  excitement  secured  for  the  area  fronting  on  the  north 
Pacific  three  years  since. 

The  revenue  interests  of  the  United  States  will  be  the  first  to  be  affected  by 
so  important  a  change  in  the  situation  and  relations  of  Central  British  America. 
I  shall  endeavor  to  keep  the  Treasury  Department  fully  advised  of  all  that  may 
transpire. 

Respectfully  stibmitted. 

JAMES  W.  TAYLOR. 

Hon.  S.  P.  Chase, 

Secretary  of  the  Treasury. 


Exhibit  E. 

Saint  Paul,  November  8,  1861. 

Sir  :  On  the  2d  of  May,  1860,  I  communicated  to  the  Treasury  Department 
some  statistics  and  observations  upon  the  practical  operation  of  the  treaty  with 
Gr"at  Britain  of  June  5,  1854,  commonly  known  as  the  reciprocity  treaty. 

As  a  supplement  thereto  1  desire  to  submit  some  further  statistics,  with  the 
.same  object,  with  a  few  preliminary  observations. 

I  am  in  no  situation  to  estimate  the  commercial  value  of  the  stipulation  con- 
tained in  the  first  article  of  the  treaty  by  Avhich  we  secured  the  right  of  fishing 
on  the  coast  of  the  British  North  American  provinces,  with  advantages  equal  to 
those  rajoyed  by  British  subjects.  It  is  an  historical  fact,  however,  that  under 
the  P'jnvention  of  1818  we  Avere  in  constant  danger  of  collision  with  England, 
and  our  fishing  interests  were  greatly  embarrassed. 

The  leading  provision  of  the  reciprocity  treaty  certainly  placed  our  north- 
eastern fisheries  hi  as  favorable  a  situation  as  could  be  asked — exceeding  even 
the  liberal  stipulations  at  the  peace  of  1783. 

In  behalf  of  the  northwestern  grain  districts  it  will  be  pertinent  to  refer  to 
events  now  transpiring  as  evidence  of  the  great  practical  value  of  articlo  four  of 


AND   NORTHWEST    IJKiTlSII   AMERICA. 


27 


the 

!on- 
ing 
Ito 
ider 
ind. 


*m\ 


} 


.1 


the  treaty  of  lSo4,  which  HL'curcr4  to  the  citizens  and  inliabitants  of  the  United 
States  the  freedom  of  navigation  on  tlie  river  St.  Lawrence  and  the  canula  of 
Canada,  Avhik'  we  yiehl  to  Britinli  (*nbjectrt  the  aame  riglit  npon  Lake  JMicIiigan. 
AVith  the  Mis^nirtsippi  intennipted  by  insurrection,  tlie  Baltimore  and  Ohio  rail- 
road in  a  large  degree  unavailable,  the  Pennsylvania  Ccntial  railroad  almost 
exclusively  chartered  by  government,  the  northwest  finds  the  value  of  its  great 
staple  depreciated  by  excessive  freights ;  and  it  is  highly  probable  that  vessels 
of  1,000  tons  burden  will  be  introduced  upon  the  great  lakes  and  the  lower 
St.  Lawrence,  transshipping  through  the  Canadian  canals  in  craft  equal  to  their 
capacity,  and  thus  more  directly  communicate  M'ith  Europe.  Only  with  the  aid 
of  such  agencies  of  transportation  by  sea,  inland  and  ocean,  can  the  cultivation 
of  wheat  be  advantflgeously  pushed  into  the  vast  areas  of  the  northwest,  which 
nature  has  adapted  by  soil  and  climate  tV)r  the  production  of  that  important 
staple.  We  earnestly  represent  the  injustice  to  this  section,  besides  the  general 
inutility  of  relinquishing  the  largest  liberty  of  the  St.  Lawrence  at  this  critical 
juncture. 

Indeed,  the  time  has  come,  hastened  by  the  wonderful  harvests  of  1860  and 
1861  and  the  scarcity  of  Europe,  which  seems  likely  to  become  chronic,  when 
the  language  of  John  A.  Dix  in  1849  will  be  justified.  "  I  have  no  hesitation," 
said  he,  '■'  in  predicting  that  vessels  will  be  ladeued  with  wheat  at  Chicago, 
Green  Bay,  Detroit,  and  Cleveland,  and  unloaded  at  Liverpool.  Ship-iuners, 
producers,  all  will  be  greatly  benefited  by  this  free  commerce,  which  will  have 
an  advantage  in  avoiding  transshipment  between  the  point  of  embarcatiou  and 
the  sea  or  the  foreign  market." 

The  mineral  wealth  of  Lake  Superior,  particularly  its  south  or  -American 
shore,  is  forced  upon  our  attention  in  this  connexion.  The  last  two  years  have 
witnessed  a  production  of  iron  and  copper  Avhich,  with  the  freedom  of  the  St. 
Lawrence  for  the  transportatien  of  the  ores,  or  articles  manufactured  from  them, 
may  prove  of  immense  national  importance.  The  rapid  progress  of  these  mines 
is  not  generally  appreciated.  A  new  and  extraordinary  impulse  to  the  com- 
merce of  the  northwest  will  be  thence  derived,  which  will,  however,  greatly 
depend  on  the  freedom  of  the  whole  channel  of  the  river  St.  Lawrence. 

It  is  possible  that  except  for  the  advantages  secured  to  the  citizens  of  the 
United  States  in  respect  to  the  eastern  fisheries  and  western  transportation  to 
the  markets  of  the  world,  tlie  third  article  of  the  treaty  would  not  have  been 
proposed  by  the  President  or  ratified  by  the  Senate  of  the  United  States.  That 
article  admits  the  products  enumerated  in  a  schedule  annexed,  being  the  growth 
and  produce  of  the  British  colonies  and  the  United  States,  respectively,  free  of 
duty.  It  is  alleged  that  the  operation  of  this  clause  is  more  advantageous  to 
the  Canadians  than  to  the  citizens  of  the  adjacent  States.  Even  if  so,  no  argu- 
ment is  afforded  against  the  treaty  as  a  wliole.  It  was  probably  intended  and 
expected  that  it  would  be  so.  The  removal  of  all  restnctions  previously  exist- 
ing upon  our  fisheries  on  the  Newfoundland  banks  and  the  adjacent  shores,  and 
upon  the  egress  from  the  American  lakes  to  the  ocean,  were  distinctly  regarded 
by  the  contracting  parties  as  a  consideration  for  some  advantage  to  the  colonists 
in  the  reciprocal  exchanges  authorized  by  the  third  article. 

But  I  fail  to  appreciate  the  correctness  of  the  assertion  that  the  mutual  com- 
merce under  the  treaty  has  been  more  advantageous  to  the  British  provinces 
than  to  the  American  States.  From  the  following  table,  published  in  the  United 
States  Treasury  Report  on  the  Finances  for  1860,  the  experience  of  tl  e  last  nine 
years,  two  prior  and  seven  subsequent  to  the  date  of  the  treaty,  suggest  an 
opposite  conclusion. 


to 
of 


28 


RELATIONS   BETWEEN   THE    UNITED    STATES 


Statement  exhihiting  the  exports  to  and  the  imports  from  Canada,  and  other 
British  possessions  in  North  America,  frmn  July  1,  1851,  to  June  30,  1860. 


Years  ending-  - 

Exports. 

Imports. 

Jane  30,  1862 

$10,509,016 
13,140,642 
24,666,860 
27,806,020 
29,029,349 
24,262,482 
23,651,727 
28,154,174 
14,183,114 

$6,110,299 

1853 

7,650,718 

1854 

8,927,560 

1855 

15,136,734 

1856 

1857 

21,310,421 
22,124,296 

1858 

15,806,519 

1859 

19,727,561 

1860 

•  uvv.... ....... ........ 

18.861,673 

Total 

195.30.3,384 

135,555,071 

It  also  appears,  by  the  official  statement  of  the  Register's  office,  (page  433, 
Report  on  Finance?,)  that  $140,393,956  of  the  exports  from  tlie  United  States 
have  been  the  growth  or  manufacture  of  the  United  States.  Our  exp..  ts  during 
the  foregoing  period  have  greatly  exceeded  our  imports  from  British  America ; 
warranting  the  inference  that  a  balance  of  trade,  amounting  to  $59,747,713,  has 
been  added  to  the  permanent  wealth  of  the  United  States. 

Upon  the  topic  of  the  practical  operation  of  the  third  article  of  the  treaty,  I 
bt'g  leave  to  present  the  following  abstracts,  compiled  from  "  Tables  of  the  Trade 
and  Navigation  of  the  United  Provinces  of  Canada"  for  the  year  ending  De- 
cember 31,  1860: 

No.  1. 

General  statement  of  imports  into  Canada  from  the  United  States  during  the 
year  1860,  arranged  to  exhibit  the  operation  of  the  Canadian  tariff. 


Articles. 


Value. 


SPECIFIC  DUTY. 

Whiskey,  18  cents  per  gallon 

°  100  and  30 /xr  ctmt.  ad  valonm. 


Gin 

Rum 

Spirits  and  strong  waters,  including  spirits  of  wine  and  alcohol. 

Cordials 

Brandy 


$1,880 

665 

116 

321 

3,8U9 


Total  100  and  30  per  cent  ad  valorem 
'■'*  40  and  35  per  cent  ad  valorem. 


Cigars 

Confectionery 

Sugar,  refined,  or  other  sugar  equal  to  refined. 


31,741 
13,468 
20,665 


Total  40  and  35  per  cent,  a  I  valorem . 


Total. 


$6,278 


6,781 


65,774 

^'  Articles  under  two  rates  of  duty  include  those  affected  by  the  changes  in  the  tariff  on 
Ist  of  June. 


3,781 


I- 


r 


AND   NORTHWEST   BRITISH   AMERICA.  29 

No.  1. — General  statement  of  imports,  i(c — Continuctl. 


ArtioleH 


o  30  and  25  per  cent,  ad  valorem. 


Ale,  beer,  and  porter,  in  casks 

Ale,  beer,  and  porter,  in  bottles 

Blacking , 

Coftee,  ground  or  roasted 

Cinnamon,  inoce,  and  nutmegs.... , 

Spices,  including  ginger,  pimento,  and  pepper,  ground. 

Patent  medicines  and  medicinal  preparations 

Snuff 


Soap 

Starch , 

Tobacco,  manufactured 

Molasses , 

Sugar,  being  neither  refined,  nor  other  sugar  equal  to  refined 


Total  30  and  25  per  cent,  ad  valorem. 


o  30  and  20  per  cent,  ad  valorem. 


Dried  fruits  and  nuts 

Wine  of  all  kinds,  in  wood... 
Wine  of  all  kinds,  in  bottles. 


Value 


$1,938 

141 

4.704 

1,383 

11.327 

4,731 

42,9.')0 

6,748 

11,453 

29, 32.') 

463,908 

228,784 

1,410,991 


140,427 

21,587 
12,588 


Total  30  and  20  per  cent,  ad  valorem . 
25  per  cent,  ad  valorem. 


Manufact'ircs  of  leather. — Boots  and  shoes 

Harness  and  saddlery 

Clothing  or  wearing  apparel,  made  by  hand  or  sewing-machine . 


Total  25  per  cent,  ad  valorem. 


20  per  cent,  ad  valorem. 

Bagatelle  boards  and  billiard  tables  and  furnishings. 

Brooms  and  brushes,  of  all  kinds 

Cabinet  ware  or  furniture..... 

Candles,  tallow 

Candles  and  tapers,  other  than  tallow 

Carpets  and  hearthrugs 

Carriages.... 

Coach  and  harness  furniture 

Chandeliers,  girandoles,  and  gas  fittings 

Chicory..... 

Cbiuaware,  earthenware,  and  crockery 

Cider 

Clocks 

Cocoa  and  chocolate 

Cordage 

Corks..... 

Cottons..... 

Drugs,  not  otherwise  specified 

Essences  and  perfumery. 

Fancy  goods  and  millinery...... 

Foreign  newspapers 

Fireworks. 


102,654 

5,674 

31,602 


5, 

45, 

4, 
12. 
13, 
33, 
15, 
2, 
1, 
19, 

2, 

27, 

2, 
24, 

9, 
694, 
57, 
15, 
70, 
19, 
10, 


625 
692 
858 
272 
468 
276 
367 
994 
690 
727 
068 
521 
776 
042 
322 
504 
621 
187 
001 
953 
025 
323 


Total. 


$2,212,383 


•;i 


174, 602 


139,930 


!r 


•^^  Articles  under  two  rates  of  duty  include  those  affected  by  the  changes  in  the  taiifif  on 
ist  of  June. 


30  RELATIONS   BETWEEN    THE    UNITED    STATES 

No.  1. — General  statement  of  imports,  8(c. — Contiimed. 


Articles. 


Gunpo-vder 

GiiDB,  liticH,  and  fire-arms  of  all  kinds. 

Glass  and  glassware 

Hats,  caps,  and  bonnets 

Hay 


Hops 

Hosiery 

Inks  (if  all  kinds,  except  printing  ink..... 

Iron  and  hardware 

Lumber  or  plank,  manufactured 

Leather 

Leather  — Hheep,  calf,  goat,  and  chamois  skins,  dressed 

Linen 


Locomotive  engines  and  railroad  cats 

Macaroni  and  vermicelli 

MaiiUfactures  of  caoutchouc,  India  rubber,  or  of  gutta-percha. 

Manufactures  of  fur,  or  of  which  fur  is  the  principal  part.... 

Manufactures  of  papier  mache 

Manufactures  of  grass,  osier,  palm  leaf,  straw,  whalebone  or 
willow,  not  elsewhere  specified 

Manufactures  of  bone,  shell,  ivory,  horn,  and  pearl 

Manufactures  of  gold,  silver,  or  electro  plate,  argentine, 
albata,  and  German  silver,  and  plated  and  gilded  waic  of 
all  kinds.... 

Manufactures  of  brass  or  copper 

Manufactures  of  leather,  or  imitation  of  leather 

Manufactures  of  marble 

Manufactures  of  varnish,  other  than  bright  and  black 

Manufactures  of  wood,  not  elsewhere  si>ecified 

Mowing,  reaping,  and  threshing  machines.... 

Musical  instruments,  including  musical  boxes  and  clocks.... 

Mustard 

Other  machinery..... 

Oil-cloths 

Oils  in  any  way  rectified  or  prepared 

Opium . 


Packages 

Paints  and  colors. 
Paper 


Paper-hangings - 

Parasols  and  umbrellas 

Playing  cards.... 

Pickles  and  sauces 

Preserved  meats,  poultry,  vegetables,  fish,  &c..., 

Printed,  lithographed,  or  copper-plate  bills,  &c.,  advertising 

pamphlets 

Silks,  satins,  and  velvets- 

Spices,  including  ginger,  pimento,  and  pepper,  ungronnd 

'   ationcry. 

f^am-engines,  other  than  locomotives 

-•■laall  wares 


•  V    wcopipes , 

Toys 

Vinegar....... ........ 

Woollens , 

Unenumeriited  articles . 


Total  20  per  cent,  ad  valorem. 


Value. 


$4,491 

2,778 

121,!»25 

235,921 

749 

25,063 

15,9(51 

2,014 

647,095 

3,787 

144,803 

3,080 

.33, 564 

C3, 798 

248 

27,585 

13,605 

18 

29,772 
11,075 


18,030 

31,887 

58,906 

3,710 

21,753 

84,211 

8,602 

99,761 

1,098 

138,415 

16,732 

149,126 

900 

46,544 

34,456 

18.529 

39,616 

963 

1,557 

1,646 

1,111 

10,292 

37,980 

33,464 

49, 779 

5.015 

82,022 

1,945 

9,637 

9,229 

326,347 

144,698 


Total, 


$3,970,105 


AND   NORTHWEST    DRITLSH    AMERICA. 

No.  1. — General  statement  of  l/aportx,  Sf«. — Continued. 


31 


Articles. 


15  pa- cnl  ml  valonm. 


Book,  map,  iind  news  piintinjj  paper. 

Coffee,  green 

Tea 


Total  15  per  cent,  ad  valorem. 


10  ptr  cent,  ad  valorem. 


Anchorii,  6  cwt.  and  imder 

Books,  printed,  periodicals  and  pamphlets,  editions  of  which 
are  printed  in  Canada ,. 

Braes  in  hars,  rods,  or  sheets 

Brass  or  copper  wire  and  wire  cloth.. 

Copper  in  bars,  rods,  bolts,  or  sheets 

Copper,  brass,  or  iron  tubes,  and  piping  when  drawn 

Cotton  candlewick 

Cotton  yarn  and  warp 

Drain  tiles  for  agricultural  puriwscs 

Engravings  and  prints 

Iron,  Canada  plates  and  lined  plates 

Iron,  galvanized  and  sheet 

Iron,  wire,  nail,  and  spike  rod 

Iron,  bar,  rod,  or  hoop 

Iron,  hoop  or  tire,  for  locomotive  wheels  bent  and  welded 

Iron,  boiler  plate 

Iron,  railroad  bars,  wrought  iron  chairs  and  spikes 

Iron,  rolled  plate 

Jewelry  and  watches 

Lead,  in  sheet 

Litharge 

Locomotive  and  engine  frames,  cranks,  crank  axles,  railway 
car  and  locqmotlve  axles,  piston  rods,  guide  and  slide  V)ars, 
crank  pi'^s,  and  connecting  rods , 

Maps,  charts,  and  atlases 

Medicinal  roots 

Phosphorus - • 

Plaster  of  Paris  and  hydraulic  cement,  ground  and  calcined. 

Red  lead  and  white  lead,  dry 

Sails,  ready-made 

Silk  twist  for  hats,  boots,  and  shoes 

Steamboat  and  mill  shalts  and  cranks,  forged  in  the  rough. . 

Steel,  wrought  or  cast 

Straw,  Tuscan  and  grass  fancy  plaits 

Spirits  of  turpentine 

Tin,  granulated  or  bar 

Zinc  or  spelter,  in  sheet 


Total  10  per  cent,  ad  valorem. 


105 


IREE  GOODS. 

Acids  of  every  description,  except  vinegar. 

Alum 

Anatomical  preparations 

Anchors  weii;hing  over  6  cwt 

Animals.  — Horses 

Hornfid  cattle 


Value. 


$2,  CiS 

105,882 

1.135.443 


75 


68. 

975 

1, 

000 

2, 

207 

15, 

961 

24, 

054 

24, 

379 

120, 

967 

182 

10, 

801 

40, 

296 

8, 

170 

4, 

795 

39, 

653 

5, 

855 

11, 

185 

71, 

750 

70 

125 

618 

227 

6 

522 

18 

126 

5 

891 

2 

784 

1 

502 

8 

526 

9 

352 

2 

228 

3 

409 

3 

053 

17 

G78 

738 

54 

711 

7 

277 

0 

467 

9 

.031 

512 

499 

132 

118 

,530 

07 

,201 

Total. 


SI,  243,. 183 


706,994 


RELATIONS   DETWKEN   THE    UNITED   STATES 
No.  1. — General  'Stati'mvnt  of  imports,  i^r. — Coiitiuuod. 


Articles. 


Aninmla.— Sheep 

Pigs 

Otiier  animtiU 

Poultry  and  fancy  blidg. 

Antimony 

Antiquitiea,  collections  of 

Argol. 


Articles  for  the  public  uses  of  the  province 

Aahes,  pearl 

I)ot 

Bark,  berriea,  nuts,  vegetables,  woods,  and  drugs,  used  solely 

in  dyeing 

Bark,  tanners' 

Bibles,  testaments,  prayer  Viooks,  and  devotional  books,  and 

printed  books  not  elsewhere  specified 

Bleaching  powders 

Bolting  cloths 


Borax 

Bookbinders'  tools  and  implements 

Bristles 

Broom  corn 

Busts,  casts,  and  statues 

Bun-stones  and  grindstones,  wrought  and  unwrought. 


Butter 

Cabinets  of  coins 

Coin  and  bullion 

Cables,  iron  chain,  over  %  of  an  inch  in  diameter 

hemp  and  grass 

Caoutchouc  or  India-rubber  and  gutta-percha,  unmanufactured, 

Carriages,  vehicles  of  travellers,  &c 

Cement,  marine  or  hydraulic,  unground 

Cheese - 


Coal  and  coke 

Clothing  and  arms  for  Indian  nations... 

Clothing  and  arms  for  military 

Corkwood  or  bark  of  the  corkwood  tree. 

Cotton  and  tlax  waste 

Cotton  and  wool 

Cream  of  tartar,  in  crystals 

Diamonds  and  precious  stones 

Donations......... 

Drawings 

Earths,  clays,  sands,  and  ochres 

Eggs. 


Emery,  glass,  and  sandpaper 

Farming  utensils  and  implements,  when  specially  imported 

for  encouragement  of  agriculture 

Felt  hat  bodies  and  hat  felts 

Flax,  hemp,  and  tow,  undressed 

Firewood 

Fire-brick  and  clay 

Fish,  fresh 

salt 

oil,  crude 

products  of,  immansfactured 

Fishing  nets,  seines,  hooks,  lines,  and  twines 

Fruit,  green..... 

dried 

Furs  and  skins,  pelts  or  tails,  undressed 


$11,210 

38,488 

3,6G5 

4,070 

74 

870 

35 

15,169 

10,279 

I1,S«3 

43, 408 
2,130 

219,704 

884 

10, 303 

170 

1,228 

12,466 

63,404 

3,053 

15,499 

29,422 

140 

14,444 

1,409 

83 

117,672 

82,998 

237 

82,959 

304,079 


2,276 

219 

22,987 

25,627 

10,505 

64 

1,211 

8,699 

4,102 

1,075 

4,110 

3,578 

3,792 

87, 106 

38, 763 

5,805 

85,886 

63,527 

86,071 

553 

18,968 

241,335 

43, 192 

104, 659 


AND   NORTHWEST   BRITISH    AMERICA. 
No.  1. — General  statement  of  imports,  djr.— Continued. 


Al'ticleH. 


Flour 

GrtiiuH. — B«rK;y  tmd  lyo 

Jtran  and  Hhurtu. .... 

Buckwheat 

Oivta 

Beans  and  peas.... 

Indian  corn 

Wheiit 

Kiitfo  Hour 

Meal  of  the  tibovo  griiins 

(.ifUiH  und  mediiU 

Gold  he  iters'  hrhii  moulds,  and  skins 

Orcace  and  scraps 

Gravels 

Gypsum  or  plaster  of  Paris,  ground  or  uugroutid,  but  not 

ca'cined 

Hair,  angola,  goat,  thihet,  horse,  or  mohair,  nnniauuractuied. 

Hides  and  horns 

Indigo 


Valuo. 


SSrifi,  074 

61,7H7 

l,22(i 

.SDl 

G<IO 

4,295 

528,  (ISO 

2,308,«24 

10 

24,787 

408 


Junk  and  oakum. 
Lard 


Manilla  grass,  sea  grass,  and  mosses,  for  upholstery  purposes. 

Manures - 

Marble,  in  blocks  or  slabs,  unpolished 

Meats,  fresh,  smoked,  and  salt 

Menageries,  horses,  cattle,  carriages,  and  harnesses  of 

Military  and  naval  htoies 

Models 

Musical  i  struments  for  military  bands 

Nitre  or  saltpetre 

Ods,  cocoa-nut,  pine,   and  palm,  in  their  crude,  unrcctitied 

or  natural  state 

Ores  of  all  kind<i  of  metids  .- 

Packnges 

Philosophical  instruments  and  apparatus — globes 

Pig  iron,  pig  lead,  and  pig  copper 

Pitch  and  tar 

Printing  ink  and  printing  presses 

Rags. 


Kfsin  and  rosin.. 

Kice 

Sail  cloth 

Sal  ammoniac,  sal  soda,  soda  ash . 
Salt 


•I 


Seeds  for  agricultural,  horticultural,  or  manufacturing  pur- 
poses only 

Settlers'  goods 

Ships'  water  casks  in  use 

Ships'  blocks,  binnacle  lamps,  burttiog,  sail  canvas  Nos.  1  lo 
6,  compasses,  cordage,  dead  eyes,  dead  lights,  deck  plugs, 
shackles,  sheaves,  signal  lamps,  travelling  trucks 

Specimens 

Slate 


Stone,  unwrougbt - 

Stereotype  blocks  for  printing  purposes . 

bulphur  and  brimstone 

Tallow 

Teasels : 

Timber  and  lumber  of  all  sorts',  unmanufartured 

H.  Ex.  Doc.  146-^—3 


Total 


l(i,325 
1,085 

9.767 

5,497 

603, 127 

11,460 

10,020 

22,723 

4,524 

9,595 

21!,  4 18 

56(i,!)9l 

1,30'> 

28 

1,741 

891 

14.526 

43,322 
11.020 

5,  660 

717 

47,610 

10.071 

15,728 

5,  955 
30, 867 

8,021 
30,420 

y,421 
164,691 

141,895 

258,660 


11,810 

526 

3,  700 

36, 205 

2,591 

1,389 

329,502 

659 

64,782 


84  RELATIONS   UKTWEEN   THE   ITNITED   STATES 

No.  l.—Geniral  statement  of  imports,  ^ff.— Continued. 


Artick'M. 


'i'in  iinti  y.\uv,  or  Hpt-ltt^r,  in  hInckH  or  \An» 

TlffH,  pIllllU,  Ull'l  Hhl'lllM,  bulliH,  Utill  Kiottt  ...... 

'IK  fimilK 

Tiir|i<'iitlii(!,  otliur  thmi  HplritH  of  tiirptmtinu 

To\mv(u,  nniiiiiniirtirtiintii 

'I'y |)(!  ait'tiU  ill  blockH  or  pi^H 

ViiriiiHh.  ItiiKlit  uml  bltttk,  fur  »liip  huiUlerH  ..... 

V't'j,'ctablt'< , 

Wiiu'H.  KplritH,  and  malt  liquors  for  offlcern'  iiicsh 

Wood  of  all  kiiuiH , 

Wool... 


Value. 


$ft.R»4 

37,254 

65 

14 

124,115 

4;i 

2S2 
11,3(13 

(iri9 
10,982 
79,822 


Total. 


Ti-t.il  free  f;;ood8 


Foriinn  reprints  of  Rrititnh  copyright  workH,  (subject  to  a 
duty  of  12)  por  cent.,  jMynblo  to  tliu  iinpurial  guvernniont 
for  tho  bonetlt  of  the  copyrVjfht  holder.) 


Orand  tot<il. 


$8,740,485 


6,314 


17,273,020 


The  total  value  of  imports  into  Canada  during  the  year  ending  Deeember  31,  1861,  wna 
$34,447,935.  The  above  aggregate  fiom  the  United  States  more  than  e(iuiilii  the  CaiiadittD 
importations  from  all  other  countries. 

No.  2. — Genernl  statement  of  the  value  of  Canadian  'produce  and  manufactures 
exported  to  the  United  States  during  the  year  18G0. 


k^ 


Articles. 


THE  MIME. 


Copper , 

Copper  ore 

Iron  ore  

rig  and  scrap  iron 
Stone 


Total  produce  of  the  mine 

TUB  FlSUKlilES. 


Fish,  dried  and  smoked 

pickled.... 

fresh 

oil , 

Furs  t)r  ekins,  the  protluce  of  fish  or  creatures  living  in  the 
sea , 


Value. 


Total. 


$1,876 

225,836 

34, 165 

62,317 

4,343 


Total  proiluce  of  the  fisheries 

THE  FOKt»T. 


Ashes,  pot  ..., 
l^earl... 

Timber. — Ash 
Birch.. 
Elm..., 
Maple  . 
Oak... 


1,263 

151,946 

28, 500 

4,  150 

14 


Pi 


$318,537 


118,107 

54,560 

1,610 

14 

602 

284 

20,546 


185,873 


Fu 


Bar 
Bea 


AND   NORTHWEST    HUITIHH   AMERICA.  35 

No.  2. — Grnerttf  ntatemfnt  of  imports,  iff. — C'ontiimod. 


,485 

314 

1, 020 


,  wiia 
adittD 


tures 


8,537 


l5,873 


Articluri. 

Value. 

Total. 

Tliulxjr.— White  pino 

$105, 125 

7 

4,376 

27,240 

9,393 

39,471 

30, 408 

Hod  pirio.. 

Tiiiiiitriic...... ............ ...... .... .... ........a. 

Willi!  lit 

ItiiKHwoud,  Inittcrnut, 

and  hickory 

KtHiiiliird  HttiveH . 

Othor  8taveH  ...... .... ...... .... ...... ...... ...... 

liiitti'im.. 

KlIt't'K  ...... ...... ...... ......  .... ...... ...... .... 

11,915 
31,658 

Scantling 

Tri'onnllB 

Deals 

226,817 

Ut'al  ends 

Plunk  and  boards..... 

3,027,730 
29, 980 
22,078 

Spars  ......  ...................................... 

Musts 

Handspikes .... 

Latlisand  hitliwood 

12,489 
64. 646 
30, 152 
19, 993 
2,092 
61,618 
57,368 

Firewood 

Shinirles...... ...... ...... . .. . .... .... ...... 

Itailroad  ties 

Otirs.... 

Saw  logs..... -- 

- 
forest ..... .... .... .... .... .... 

Total  produce  of  the 

ANIMALS  A> 

Animals. — Horses...... ... 

$4,019,278 

D  TUBlll  I'ftODUCE. 

9.57,411 

626,897 

203, 559 

223,  iWA 

36, 245 

2,429 

21,571 

376,022 

114 

6, 392 

228 

142,488 

55,  180 

106. 267 

1,891 

722 

69 

1,823 

323,686 

1,039 

8 

142 

3,121 

401,894 

734 

64,  347 

Horned  cattle 

Sheep  ...... .... .. ...... .... ...... .... .... .... .... 

Produce  of  unimuls. — Beef . .... ....... ...... 

Bacon  and  hams . ..... ...... . ....... .... .... .... 

Butter 

Beeswax....  ......... ............ ...... .......... 

Cheese  .... ....  ..... .... .... ......  ...••« .. .. ...... 

Ecrers •. -••■  ...••• 

Hides 

Sheens'  nelts ............ ...... ...... ........ ...... 

Horns  and  hoofs. .................................. 

Bunes  ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ....  .......... 

Lard 

Tallow 

Tunarues ......  ......  . .............. 

Honey  ..... ...... .... ...... ...... .... .... ..«. .... 

Venison  .......................   .................. 

Wool 

Furs. — Dres^^ed 

Undressed . 

[if*ir  nroduce      --  .  -.  .-.-  ....  .... 

Total  animals  and  tl 

AGRICUL' 

Barlev  and  rvc            .  . 

3,667,912 

rUKAL  PK0DUCT8. 

1,797.273 

2,883 

Beans..... 

^il 


30 


KKI.ATIONH    IIKTWKEN    TIIK    UNITKl)    STATES 
No.  'Z.—Generul  slatcmc/it  ((f  imports,  fr.— Continued. 


Artlclf*. 


nrnn 

rioiir 

Hiiy 

HopH 

liidiitn  corn  , 

Mult 

Mful 

(MtH 

I'uilH 

HiiIhhui 

Flux 

Flux  hui)(Ih... 
Otht!i'8ue(U.. 
Miiplu  HiiKnr. 
Fruit,  green  . 
Vogetabies  .. 

Tobacco 

Wheiit 


Vuluo. 


Total  agriuultui'ul  products 


tRO.AlU 

2,001,747 

4,9H7 

7,075 

1()0,741> 

408 

77,ft47 

1,202,961) 

2(;k,418 

2,567 

2,. 584 

6,  (i.'U 

60, 739 

H4.'i 

7,011 

«,3.J5 

SI 

3,421,498 


MANUFAOTl'RES. 


Books  .. 
Cotton . . 
Candles. 

Furs 

Glass  ... 


Hardware... . 

India  rubber 

Indian  barkwork 

Leather 

Linen 


Machinery 

Musictil  instruments. 

Carriages.... 

IStarch 

Straw.... 


1,934 
1,322 


1,044 
291 

3, 860 

49, 845 

303 

4.971 
242 

6,4H0 

1,020 
14,619 


Raga 

Soap 

Hugar  boxes 

Oilcake 

Biscuit 


6, 483 
31,855 


51,019 
3,042 


Wood 

Woollens 

Ground  plaster  and  lime , 

Liquors. — Ale,  beer,  and  cider 

Whiskey , 

Other  spirits 

Vinegar 


Gold  .. 
Silver .. 
Copper. 


Total  manufactures 

COIN  AND  BULLION,  VIZ: 


Total  coin  and  bullion 
Other  articles , 


Total. 


7,607 

96C 

10,098 

4,254 

6, 189 

1,664 

6 


50 


Total. 


$10,013,799 


206,114 


50 

126,405 


18,427,968 


,799 


,114 


60 

,405 

,968 


AND  NOKTllWEST    HKITIhlI   AMEKICA, 


No.  n. 


87 


Comporath'r  .■ifulcrnvnt.  of  (hr  rnluv  of  ,  ■hkJh  cHinnvraled  in  fhc  rvriprorlty 
trraty,  heintf  thv  ffnucth  oml  jtrtuhirv  of  the  Unifnl  Sfiiftit,  am}  im  portal  into 
Canailu  (luring  thr  yram  ISi'iI)  and  INOO, 


Aitlclus. 


AnlinitlH 

Asht'H , 

l»iirk 

Itruom  corn 

Itiirr  unil  grirulstonoH 

BiUtor 

Cht't'Ho 

Ccml 

C'otUin  w(M)l...... ......  .............. 

l»yo  MtulfH 

Ekks 

Fi8h 

Fish  oil 

Fish,  proiliictg  of 

Firewood 

Fruit,  dried 

Fruit,  undried 

Flax,  hemp,  and  tow,  unnmiuifactured. 

Flour  

FurH,  RkinR,  and  tailH,  undreHscd 

Grain  of  all  kindu 

GypHum 

Hides,  liornH,  and  pelts 

Lard 

Manures 

Meal 

Meat  of  all  kinds 

Ores  of  metals 

Pitch  and  ttr 

riants  and  nhrubs 

Poultry 

RaKS 

Rice 

Seeds  ................................ 

Slate 

Stone  and  marble,  unwrought 

TalL.w 

Timber  and  lumber 

Tobacco,  unmanufactured  ............. 

Turpentine 

Vegetables 

Wool 


Total 


Value. 


1850. 


$234,677 

I2.H2A 

2,ft70 

.')o,:ii)l 

14,.'{«3 
4(»,  .'l.'l.') 
9.S,4i»9 

237,776 

17,207 

52,  20!) 

1 ,  «9;j 

10,s,6H4 
73,0!I8 


40,810 

35,414 

215,609 

57,.'{01 

, 090, 683 

114.  .^aa 

,709,077 

11,763 

250, 000 

33, 049 

12.721 

126,902 

601.4.54 

2.389 

8,472 

24, 423 

1,054 

3, 872 

18,562 

82,111 

12,763 

49,065 

309, 039 

97,435 

146,974 


66, 109 
66, 175 


7,106,116 


1860. 


$2.19, 094 

21,642 

2, 130 

63,401 

15. 499 

29,422 

H2, 969 

304.079 

25,627 

43, 408 

1,075 

139,413 

86, 07 1 

653 

38,753 

43, 192 

241,335 

87, 106 

856, 074 

104,  65i) 

2,  895,  .533 

9,767 

220.000 

22,723 

9,  595 

24,787 

566,991 

11.02U 

10,071 

.'?7,254 

4, 070 

5,955 

8,021 

141,895 

3,700 

62,623 

329,502 

64,782 

124,115 

14 

11,363 

79,822 

7,069,098 


I  rcapcctfully  submit  a  few  prnctical  observations  upon  the  foregoing  tables. 
1.  I  anticipate  no  furtlier  complaint  upon  the  rehitive  rates  of  the  Canadian 
and  American  tariffs.     If,  in  1S57,  the  American  legislature  sensibly  reduced 


38 


RELATIONS   BETWEEN   THE   UNITED   STATES 


tlio  tariff,  it  was  found  expedient,  in  ISGl,  mnteiinlly  to  ndvnnc  the  duties. 
In  tliirt  we  followed  the  Canadian  example  of  1858-'9.  In  neitlier  case  exists 
any  jtif>t  ground  of  complaint.  The  interests  of  revenue  were  exclusively  con- 
sulted by  both  governments. 

2.  It  will  be  seen,  from  the  table  of  Canadian  importations  from  the  United 
States,  that  artichs  valued  at  $8,532,535  paid  Canadian  duties,  and  consisted 
for  the  most  part  of  American  manufactures.  Including  a  nearly  equal  amount 
of  articles  admitted  free  under  the  reciprocity  treaty,  they  comprise  a  trade 
Avhich  benefits  almost  every  possible  forri  of  American  industry. 

3.  The  above  is  an  enumeration  of  our  commercial  relations  with  the  United 
Canadian  provinces.  I  refer  to  the  Uni'ed  States  treasury  report  upon  com- 
merce and  navigation  for  the  year  ending  June  30,  1860,  for  similar  statistics 
in  respect  to  other  British  possessions  in  North  America,  of  which  only  New- 
foundland, New  Brunswick,  and  Nova  Scotia  are  included  within  the  provisions 
of  the  reciprocity  treaty. 

4.  With  the  permission  of  the  department  I  shall  reserve  for  another  com- 
munication the  subject  of  our  commw'cial  relations  Avith  the  territory  northwest 
of  Minnesota,  now  occupied  by  the  Hudson  Bay  Company,  and  Avith  British 
Columbia.  T^hese  rest  on  a  basis  so  distinct  from  the  trade  and  intercourse  of 
the  lake  and  Atlantic  coasts  as  to  suggest  a  separate  discussion. 

Respectfully  submitted. 

JAMES  W.  TAYLOR. 
Hon.  S.  P.  Chask, 

Secretary  of  the  Treasury. 


Exhibit  F  a. 

St.  Paul,  Decemler  17,  1861. 

Sib:  I  beg  your  attention  to  the  following  extracts  from  i\\G  "Norhcesfer," 
the  newspaper  printed  at  Selkirk  settlement, 
ronto  Globe. 

[From  the  Nor'wester  of  October  15] 


The  itahcs  are  those  of  the  To- 


"  The  progress  of  our  republican  neighbors  in  opem'ng  up,  settling,  and  organ- 
izing new  territories  is  someth:-.g  wonderful.  Idaho,  Nevada,  Dakota,  and 
Chippewa,  were  heard' of  for  the  first  time  as  names  indicating  important  geo- 
graphical areas  of  the  North  American  continent.  Just  before  these  we  had 
Oregon,  Kansas,  Nebraska,  Utah,  and  Washington.  What  an  array  of  names  ! 
What  amazing  progress  in  occupying  and  settling  a  wild  unpeopled  country ! 
We  cannot  regard  with  indifference  this  rapid  march  of  civilization  at  our  very 
doors.  The  boundary  lines  of  Minnesota  and  Dakota  sweep  past  us  at  the  ehort 
distance  of  but  60  or  70  miles,  and  the  progress  of  settlement  hi  those  regions 
must  to  a  great  extent  affect  us  here.  The  first  Dakota  elections  came  off'  yes- 
terday fortnight,  and  our  neighboring  communities,  Pembina  and  St.  Joseph, 
have  taken  their  part  in  them.  Messrs.  J.  McFetridgc  and  Hugh  S.  Donald- 
son— both  well  known  here — have  been  candidates.  The  former  ran  for  the 
upper  house  and  the  latter  for  the  house  of  representatives.  Mr.  Donaldson  has 
been  elected  without  opposition.  Mr.  McFetridge  is  not  certain  of  his  election, 
as  his  council  district  includes  some  portions  of  south(!rn  Dakota,  where  he  will 
get  no  votes  at  all.  The  total  number  of  votes  polled  at  Pembina  and  St.  Jo- 
seph was  186.  We  congratulate  our  fi-icnd  IMr.  Donaldson  on  his  election,  and 
we  hope  we  may  be  able  to  do  the  same  lO  Mr.  McFetridge.  We  have  said 
that  Pembina  and  St.  Joseph  have,  for  the  first  time,  cast  their  votes.  Auspici- 
ous era  for  them !     Lucky  they  truly  are  to  be  thus  early  enfranchised,  when 


* 


AND  NORTHWEST    BRITISH  AMERICA. 


39 


we,  a  Inrfi^e,  populous,  and  well-to-do  community  of  50  years  standing,  arc  still 
in  8\yaddlin},'-clotli08,  under  a  fostermotlier'H  patronising  rule !  Shame  on  the 
British  government  that  this  is  the  case  !  How  much  longer  is  it  to  continue  ? 
Are  they  waiting  till  we  make  short  work  of  our  destinies  by  voting  annexation 
to  Minnesota  or  Dakota,  or  till  we  take  the  reins  of  government  with  a  rude 
grasp  and  proclaim  indejiendence  of  both  American  and  British  rule  ?  One  or 
other  alteriiative  will  assuredly  come  some  day,  unless  a  change  in  our  govern- 
mental system  take  place ;  but  why  tempt  such  a  result  by  delay  and  indiffer- 
ence? Why  alienate  this  important  conmnniity  and  jeopardize  Central  British 
America,  by  making  us  such  nonentities  as  Ave  ai-e  at  present?  We  speak  ad- 
visedly wIkmi  we  say  that  the  people  of  lied  River  are  becoming  indifferent  to 
British  connexion.  They  care  very  little  for  it ;  they  would  bear  a  severance 
Avithout  much  regret.  And  can  they  be  reasonably  blamed  for  this  questionable 
loyalty  ?  Has  anything  been  done  by  the  mother  country  to  retain,  strengthen, 
and  foster  allegiance  to  the  British  crown?  Nothing — literally  nothing.  But 
more  of  this  by  and  by." 


Again : 


[From  the  Nor' wester  of  November  15  ] 
"ASSINIBOIA. 


irgan- 
i,  and 
geo- 
e  had 
ames ! 
[mtry ! 
very 
ehort 
legions 
yes- 
loseph, 
lonald- 
>r  the 
has 
iction, 
will 
It.  Jo- 
lt and 
!  said 
ispici- 
when 


^  '> 


"We  have  not,  as  yet,  the  honor  of  ranking  ourselves  among  the  '  Colonies,' 
technically  so  called,  of  Great  Britain.  In  the  strict  and  literiil  sense  of  the 
term,  we  are ;  but  this  affords  poor  consolation  to  our  pride  and  our  ambition, 
Avhen  we  remember  the  important  distinction  existing  between  the  literal  or  ety- 
mological sense  in  which  Ave  are  a  colony,  and  the  conventional,  technical  sense 
in  Avhich  Ave  are  not.  We  are  upon  British  territory;  our  population  consists  of 
British-born  subjects  and  their  descendants  ;  this  place  or  district  Avas  first  colo- 
nized by  immigrants  fi'om  the  old  country.  These  facts  warrant  our  denom- 
inating ourselves  a  colony  of  the  British  empire.  But  there  is  an  emptiness  in 
the  appell.ation  which  jars  unpleasantly  Avith  our  self-importance.  In  convers- 
ing or  corresponding  with  foreigners,  av(!  assume  the  name  Avith  self-complacency 
or  pi'etended  satisfaction ;  but  when  Ave  reflect  upon  the  hard  facts  of  our  actual 
condition,  position  or  status,  cur  forced  pleasure  at  once  gives  place  to  a  feeling 
of  mortification.  The  sense  in  which  Ave  are  not  a  colony  of  Great  Britain,  and 
in  Avhich  Ave  desire  and  ought  to  be,  is  this :  that  avo  have  no  official  recognition 
at  the  colonial  office ;  that  our  goA'ernor  does  not  hold  a  commission  directly 
from  her  Majesty,  and  that  'Assiniboia'  does  not  figure  in  the  same  list  as 
Barbadoes,  New  BrunsAvick,  Queensland,  Cape  of  Good  Hope,  British  Guiana, 
and  Canada.  This  is  our  grievance  and  our  mortification.  Not  being  recog- 
nized at  DoAvning  street — our  governor  having  nothing  to  do  Avith  the  secretary 
of  state  for  the  colonies — we  are  nothing,  nowhere,  of  no  consequence.  (>anada, 
NoA'a  Scotia,  and  even  siich  an  upstart  as  British  Columbia,  repudiate  relation- 
ship with  us  ;  the  colonies  deny  us  the  honor  of  their  society :  boing  themselves 
sisters  of  equal  standing,  they  set  us  doAvn  as  a  stranger  or  pretender,  and 
question  our  legitimacy. 

"That  we  shall  not  ahvays  smart  under  our  present  mortification  is  very  certain. 
Time  and  the  force  of  circumstances  will  give  us  our  coveted  status,  and  Ave 
must,  for  the  present,  bear  our  humiliation  Avith  the  best  grace  possible.  When 
the  change  does  come,  and  Ave  have  reason  to  think  it  not  far,  important  ques- 
tions will  at  once  arise  regarding  the  form  of  our  government,  the  nature  of 
land  tenure,  administration  of  justice,  interests  of  education,  public  revenue, 
&c.,  &c.  It  is  needless  as  yet  to  specuiate  and  theorize  on  any  of  these  topics. 
Important  as  they  are  even  noAv,  .they  will  at  once  become  tenfold  more  so  under 
a  change,  and  they  Avill  receive  Avhat  they  deserve,  a  full  and  earnest  discussion." 


t'>i\ 


l\ 


m 


RELATIONS   BETWEEN   THE   UNITED   STATES 


The  writor  then  proceeds  to  diHcuss  the  name  of  the  future  colony,  express- 
ing a  preference  for  "Assiniboia." 

And  yet,  notwithstanding  this  decinive  language,  the  Nor'wester  is  hardly 
abreii.st  of  the  public  dissatisfaction.  The  party  which  favors  annexation  to  the 
United  States  is  so  numerous,  especially  among  the  French  population,  as  to 
enggest  the  scheme  of  a  rival  newspaper,  as  will  appear  from  the  following 
paragraph  in  the  Nor'wester  of  October  15,  also  copied  into  the  Toronto 
Globe: 

"ANNEXATION    TO    BE    ADVOCATED    THROUGH    THE    PRESS. 

"  The  Nor'wester  says  :  '  The  last  mail  brought  us  a  prospectus  from  Min- 
nesota of  a  new  journal  to  be  published  in  this  settlement.  The  projectors  arc 
(^hio  men,  and  have  only  recently  arrived  in  Minnesota.  It  is  their  intention  to 
come  this  fall,  if  possible,  but  if  not,  assuredly  next  spring.  The  projectors 
are  Catholics,  but  say  that  they  will  deal  fairly  Avith  Protestants  of  every  de- 
nomination, their  paper  being  jturely  secular.  The  leading  principles  of  this 
jouriial  (which,  by  the  way,  is  to  be  $3  a  year)  are  said  to  be  "  determined,  un- 
compromising hostility  to  the  Hudson  Bay  Company,"  and  "  the  annexation  of 
the  Red  River  country  to  the  United  States."  Of  these  two  planks  in  their 
platform  we  must  say  that  Ave  have  unifomily  refused  to  adopt  tlu;  former  or  its 
opposite,  though  m-ged  thereto  by  many  here  and  abroad,  and  Ave  have  yet  to 
learn  that  our  moderate,  middle  course  should  be  abandoned.  The  second  Avill, 
we  hope,  be  utterly  impracticable.  Though  Ave  have  some  reason  to  complain, 
still  we  go  decidedly  for  British  connexion ;  and  we  haA'C  such  confidence  in  the 
Red  River  people  that  we  believe  they  will  scorn  to  support  any  journal  of  con- 
trary opinions.' "  S'^i 

The  people  can  be  satisfied  only  by  a  speedy  organization  as  a  British  prov- 
•  ince,  with  such  recognition  and  encouragement  of  local  interests  as  is  usual  on 
the  part  of  the  mother  country  Avhen  a  croAvn  colony  is  established. 

As  I  have  previously  assured  the  department,  the  Americanization  of  this 
!  important  section  of  British  America  is  rapidly  progressing.  Unless  the  British 
'  I'arliament  acts  promptly — for  instance,  during  the  session  soon  to  transpire — 
I  shall  confid<'ntly  expect  a  popular  movement  looking  to  independence  or  an- 
nexation to  the  United  Stfites. 

In  case  of  a  collision  Avitli  England,  Minnesota  is  competent  to  "hold,  occupy, 
and  possess"  the  \'alley  of  R(!il  River  to  Lake  Winnipeg.  There  are  no  British 
troops  at  Fort  Garry,  the  Canadian  rifles  A\'h(mi  I  saAv  there  in  1859  having  re- 
turned to  Quebec,  by  Avay  of  Hudson  bay,  during  the  summer  just  passed. 

To  illustrate  the  defenceless  posture  of  affairs,  as  Avell  as  the  dissatisfaction 
Avith  the  administration  of  Hudson  Bay  Company  oflicials,  I  arniex  another 
paragraph  from  the  Nor'wester : 

"'MORE   TROOPS  NEEDED.' 

"  Under  this  heading,  in  our  last  number,  Ave  gave  instances  of  Indian  as- 
sumptions at  Pembhia.  We  are  now,  alas !  able  to  illustrate  the  necessity  for 
troo[»s  by  occurrences  in  our  very  midst.  Yesterday  fortnight,  a  band  of  Indi- 
ans, fifty  or  sixty  in  number,  Avent  to  the  house  of  August  Schubert,  liquor 
dealer,  and  helped  themselves  to  a  cask  of  Avhiskey  and  almost  everything  in 
the  house.  He  remonstrated  and  protested,  but  to  no  effect ;  might  took  the 
place  of  right,  and  he  was  compelled  to  give  way.  There  were  tAvo  or  three 
others  besides  Schubert  at  the  time  in  the  house — Mr.  Solomon  Hamelin,  mag- 
istrate, being  one.  It  was  he  that  interpreted  between  Schubert  (who  is  a  Ger- 
man) and  the  Indians.  They  Avere  poAverless,  hoAvever,  to  check  or  prevent  the 
spoliation,  and  dreading  an  appeal  to  force,  they  alloAved  the  Indians  to  have 


AND   NORTHWEST    IJRITISH   AMERICA. 


41 


re- 


uor 
in 
the 
irec 
ag- 
[er- 
the 
ave 


^  >> 


tlioir  own  way.  This  is  a  signal  proof  of  what  we  have  ficquontly  affinncd, 
that  the  government  of  Red  lliver  is  unsuited  to  the  times.  We  require  a 
change ;  we  need  more  vigor,  more  energy,  more  strength,  more  vigilance,  more 
general  effectiveness.  Let  it  come  how  it  may,  and  whence  it  may,  but  a  change 
is  absolutely  necessary.  Allowing  that  we  would  have  to  pay  some  taxes,  we 
would  rather  do  that  and  have  security  of  life  and  property  than  continue  to  be 
under  a  rule  which  is  cheap,  certaiidy,  but  Avhich  fails  to  afford  security." 

I  hasten,  sir,  to  lay  before  you  these  facts  in  regard  to  the  Red  River  settle- 
ment, as  confirming  my  conviction  that  no  portion  of  the  British  territory  on 
this  continent  is  so  assailable,  so  certain  of  occupation  by  American  troops  in 
case  of  a  war  Avitli  England,  as  Fort  Garry  and  the  immense  district  thence  ex- 
tending along  the  valley  of  the  Saskatchewan  to  the  Rocky  mountains.  If  our 
struggle  is  to  be,  in  the  fullest  sense,  a  struggle  for  national  existence,  against 
foreign  foes  as  well  as  domestic  traitors,  Minnesota,  however  remote  from  the 
scene  of  the  southern  insun'cction,  will  claim  the  distinction  of  a  winter  cam- 
paign for  the  conquest  of  central  British  America.  J  append  a  rough  diagram, 
exhibiting  that  portion  of  British  territory  (enclosed  in  heavy  black  lines)  which 
1,000  hardy  Minnesotians,  aided  hy  the  French,  American,  and.  half-breed  pojm- 
latian,  could  seize  before  the  4th  of  March. — (See  diagram  on  following  i)age.) 

The  winter  weather  would  not  deter  the  lumbermen  and  borderers  of  Minne- 
sota from  the  march  to  Pembina  and  Fort  (irarry.  The  line  from  St.  I'aul 
■I  M-ked  "  M.  &  V.  R.  R."  (Minnesota  and  Pacific  railroad,  for  whose  construc- 
tion Congress  has  granted  3,840  acres  per  mile)  traverses  the  country,  is  known 
familiarly  as  the  "  wood  road,"  and  along  which  such  a  march,  wich  proper 
equipments,  could  be  made.  In  1858,  at  the  depth  of  winter,  an  ill-appointed 
party  of  adventurous  men  transported  the  machinery,  furniture,  and  lumber  of 
a  steamboat  from  Crow  Wing,  on  the  Upper  Mississippi,  to  Shayenne,  on  the 
Red  River  of  the  North,  where  the  vessel  was  reconstructed,  and  has  since  made 
trips  to  Fort  Garry.  Indeed,  there  is  some  rea.>on  for  the  opinion  that  the 
frozen  prairies,  marshes,  and  lakes  of  Minnesota  afford  facilities  for  military 
operations  in  winter  months  mucii  greater  than  the  army  will  find  in  Virginia 
or  Kentucky.  The  snow-fall  is  no  obstacle,  the  cold  can  be  guarded  against, 
and,  on  a  route  well  supplied  Avith  wood  for  camp  tires,  the  journey  can  be  made 
with  security  if  not  comforts 

I  am  led  into  this  train  of  remark  by  the  ncAvs  of  the  morning,  forcing  me  to 
consider  tho  possibility  of  war  with  England.  Probably  to  no  one  will  the 
news  bt  tuoie  unwelcome.  M}'  correspondence  with  the  Treasury  Department, 
and  thi  i'l,  ligations  which  I  have  been  encouraged  to  pursue,  have  had,  for 
their  jjei-'.  ■  on'  predicate,  the  peace  of  the  two  greai  nations  who  speak  the 
English  toi!;iio.  The  telegrams  of  this  date  surprise  me  in  the  midst  of  labors, 
the  object  of  wLlch  was  to  demonstrate  how  much  the  United  States  and  the 
British  districts  northwest  of  Minnesota  are  identified  in  geographical  situation 
and  material  intercuts  of  all  kinds.  To  the  advancement  of  the  latter  I  had 
not  deemed  annexation  essential.  By  treaty  stipulations  and  concurrent  legisla- 
tion it  seemed  possible  to  work  out  the  mutual  destiny  of  the  American  States 
and  British  provinces  of  the  northwest.  I  trust  that  such  agencies  will  yet  be 
suffered  to  shape  and  advance  events  on  tins  frontier.  But  if  otherwise — if  war 
is  unavoidable — the  budget  on  Avhich  I  am  engaged,  and  of  which  some  instal- 
ment r-  tre  on  file  in  the  Treasury  Department,  may  prove  of  some  advantage  to 
the  f,  ^  rnment  in  our  altered  relations  to  England,  and  to  the  immense  central 
regioii  tif  which  Minnesota  has  hitherto  been  the  commercial  key,  and  may  yet 
prove  a  military  highway. 

Respectfully  submitted. 

JA3IES  W.  TAYLOR, 

Sjfccial  Agent. 

Hon.  S.  P.  Chase,  Secretary  of  the  Treasury. 


42 


RELATIONS   BETWEEN   THE   UNITED   STATES 


s 
i 


!> 


AND  NORTHWEST    BRITISH   AMERICA. 


43 


^    ^ 


St.  Paul,  June  12,  1862. 

Sib  :  Upon  the  general  subject  of  a  customs  union  of  British  America  and  the 
United  States,  I  invite  your  attention  to  recent  developments,  us  follows : 

1.  I\  Ca\ada. 

The  new  minister  of  finance,  Honorable  "William  P.  Howland,  is  a  native  of 
New  York  city,  and  as  n  member  of  Parliament  from  the  Toronto  district,  and 
a  memb(!r  of  the  committee  on  commerce  at  several  sessions,  is  fully  connnitted 
to  the  most  liberal  policy  of  intercourse  with  the  United  States.  In  lSo9  he 
presided  at  a  meeting  in  Toronto,  which  was  addressed  by  myself,  and  followed 
me  in  expressions  of  cordial  concurrence  with  our  Minnesota  propositions. 
Lately  I  met  Mr.  Howland  in  Quebec,  and  received  additional  assurances  of  his 
sentiments,  whatever  policy  may  be  suggested  by  party  expediency. 

2.  In  Central  British  America. 

At  the  Selkirk  settlements  the  general  dissatisfaction  Avith  the  neglect  of  the 
home  government  finds  renewed  utterance.  The  following  article  is  copied  from 
the  local  newspaper  of  a  late  date : 

"Frojn  the  Red  River  settlement — Strong  talk  to  the  British  Government — 
Threats  of  Annexation  to  the  United  States. 

"  The  Red  River  Nor' wester  of  May  28  contains  the  following  article  upon 
the  relations  of  the  Red  River  people  with  England  and  the  United  States : 

'"It  is  high  time  that  the  British  government  shoidd  take  into  earnest  considera- 
tion the  affairs  of  this  country.  They  have  hitherto  been  utterly  indifferent  to 
the  condition  of  Central  British  America ;  but  careless  neglect  will  no  longer  be 
indulged  with  impunity.  The  present  imperial  cabinet  must  at  once  take  up 
the  subject  of  a  change  in  this  country,  or  they  Avill  soon  wake  up  to  a  very 
unpleasant  state  of  things  here. 

"'Annexation  to  the  United  States  is  the  universal  demand  of  the  people  of 
this  country,  seeing  that  the  home  government  will  do  nothing.  TJ.e  sentiment 
has  been  growing  ever  since  commercial  intercourse  with  Minnesota  commenced ; 
.and  it  is  increasing  in  intensity  to  such  an  extent  that  a  little  agitation  would 
ripen  it  into  a  formal  general  movement.  British-born  residents  who  have  ever 
looked  fondly  to  the  dear  old  fatherland  now  ask  themselves.  What  is  the  use  of 
our  British  connexion  1  The  name  is  something,  for  by  the  association  of  ideas 
it  suggests  a  participation  in  all  that  is  enlightened  and  liberal  in  government, 
all  that  is  advantageous  in  commerce,  all  that  is  glorious  in  history.  We  woidd 
fain,  they  say,  be  connected  with  Britain ;  but  what  is  the  nse  ?  Of  what  adv/xn- 
tage  is  it,  seeing  that  the  connexion  is  nominal,  empty,  worthless  ?  Now,  when 
old  British-born  settlers  hold  this  tone,  what  can  be  expected  of  that  over- 
whelming majority  consisthig  of  natives  (whether  half-breed  or  whites)  and 
foreigners  ?  These  care  not  one  groat  for  English  institutions  or  English  con- 
nexion, unless  they  bring  or  confer  palpable  advantages.  And  really  we  cannot 
expect  anything  else,  nor  is  their  course  altogether  without  excuse. 

"  '  Can  it  be  expected  that  we  shoidd  not  become  Americanized,  when  on  the 
one  hand  Britain  shows  perfect  indifference  to  us,  and  we  enjoy  none  of  the 
commercial  or  governmental  advantages  which  we  have  a  right  to  expect,  and 
upon  the  other  hand  American  influences  of  every  kind  are  operating  upon  us  ? 
Mark  the  following  facts : 

"  '(1.)  We  have  no  postal  communication  with  any  part  of  the  civilized  world 
except  through  the  United  States!  For  two  or  three  years  previous  to  1860 
the  Canadian  go\  ernmcnt  maintained  a  monthly  mail  to  and  from  this  settlement, 


44 


RELATIONS  BETWEEN   THE   UNITED   STATES 


via  Fort  William,  on  Luke  Superior.  This  Avas  a  step  in  tho  right  direction, 
though  the  arrangement  was  very  unsatisfactorily  carried  out.  But  in-egular  as 
wen'  the  mails,  we  had  a  right  to  expect  that  they  would  continue,  and  gradually, 
throtigh  experience  of  the  route,  would  Avork  better.  The  Canadian  govern- 
ment lias,  however,  discontinued  this  small  boon,  and  we  are  at  this  moment 
entire\y  dependent  on  the  favor  of  the  American  government  for  our  means  of 
comminiicating  with  the  outer  world.  They  have,  at  great  expense,  established 
a  fortnightly  mail  to  our  frontier,  sixty  miles  from  this  settlement,  almost  entirely 
for  our  own  benefit.  Does  this  fact  not  present  the  liritish  government  to  our 
view  at  a  disadvantage? 

'"(2.)  If  we  except  the  roimd-about,  slow,  and  very  uncertain  route  through 
the  arctic  straits  of  Hudson  bay,  it  is  only  through  or  from  the  United  States 
that  we  can  import  goods — by  an  American  route  alone  can  we  export  furs, 
skins,  cattle,  or  anything  else !  Is  this  favorable  to  loyalty  ?  An  importer  from 
Britain  can  at  present  get  but  one  supply  of  goods  in  the  year,  and  counts  him- 
self very  lucky  indeed  if,  considering  the  many  possible  mishaps,  he  does  get  it; 
whereas  the  dealer  in  American  goods  can  get  twenty  supplies  during  the  same 
time  if  he  chooses.  Almost  any  week  from  5lay  to  October,  inclusive,  a  splendid 
steamboat  may  be  seen  at  Fort  Garry  discharging  her  cargo  of  goods,  and  tak- 
ing off"  packages  of  furs  for  the  St.  Paul,  Boston,  or  New  York  market :  whose 
boat  is  this  ?  American  citizens,  whose  enterprise,  in  the  eyes  of  Red  Riverites, 
throws  into  shade  the  sIoav -going,  do-nothing  Britons,  whom,  nevertheless,  wo 
are  expected  to  admire,  imitate,  and  hold  as  our  indispensable  fellow-subjects. 

"  *  (3.)  The  only  decent  route  into  this  country  for  emigrants  is  through  the 
States.  The  consequence  is  that  the  foreigners  who  are  settling  amongst  us  are 
for  the  most  part  American  citizens,  or  persons  thoroughly  Americanized.  Is  their 
influence  favorable  to  loyalty  ? 

"•(4.)  By  frequent  intercourse  with  the  Americans,  and  occasional  visits  to 
Chicago,  Boston,  New  York,  &c.,  the  impression  is  fast  gaining  ground  that 
there  is  no  people  like  our  republican  neighbors.  We  see  their  fine  cities,  their 
railroads,  and  their  steamboats ;  we  read  of  the  rapid  settlement  of  new  tenito- 
ries,  and  of  the  liberal  system  of  legislation  by  which  the  sudden  development 
of  the  resources  of  new  districts  is  a  matter  of  every  day  experience.  Mean- 
while, we  see  nothing  of  England's  prosperity  and  greatness,  and  get  none  of 
her  vast  wealth,  and  the  inference  from  all  is,  that  our  best  plan  is  at  once  to 
become  part  of  Minnesota. 

" '  These  are  a  few  of  the  I'easons  why  the  people  of  Red  River  now  say  to 
England,  Do  something  for  us  at  once,  or  forever  give  us  up  and  let  us  shape 
our  own  destinies.' " 

I  reserve  for  a  subsequent  communication  some  details  of  the  measures  by  which 
the  new  governor  general  of  the  Hudson  Bay  Company  is  instructed  by  the 
London  directory  to  check  or  divert  the  general  dissatisfaction  at  Selkirk. 

3.   On  the  Pacific  coast  of  British  America. 

The  following  article  from  the  British  Colonist,  of  April  15,  published  at  Vic- 
toria, Vancouver  island,  indicates  quite  distinctly  that  no  adjustment  of  our 
relations  with  the  British  provinces  is  now  desirable,  unless  its  proportions  are 
continental: 

"  Reci2)rocity. — We  hope  some  of  our  legislators  will  not  allow  the  present 
session  to  pass  over  Avithout  devoting  some  attention  to  a  reciprocity  treaty  Avith 
the  United  States.  A  little  more  attention  to  the  commercial  and  industrial  in- 
terests of  the  country  Avould  assist  materially  in  the  development  of  the  island. 
Beyond  the  ordinary  routine  of  A'oting  money  to  pay  officials,  passing  a  fcAV 
private  bills,  and  spending  a  fcAv  pounds  on  the  roads,  nothing  substantial  and 
expansive  has  been  done.     It  is  high  time  that  something  beyond  nursery  legis- 


AND   NORTHWEST    BRITISH   AMERICA. 


45 


lich 
the 


lation  should  be  taken  in  linnd.  If  we  want  to  grow  rapidly  in  wealth  and  im- 
portance we  have  to  turn  our  natural  advantages  to  account.  If  we  desire  to 
advance  in  the  only  path  to  distinction  open  to  the  colony — a  maritime  and 
commercial  one — we  will  have  to  take  up  the  question  of  a  reciprocity  treaty 
witli  the  United  States  at  as  early  a  date  as  possible.  The  sooner  it  is  taken  in 
hand  the  quicker  the  treaty  will  be  inaugurated.  If  the  preparatory  steps  bo 
taken  this  session,  it  will  in  all  probability  require  a  year  or  so  before  such  a 
treaty  can  be  ratified.  Two  years  hence  the  reciprocity  between  the  United 
States  and  the  eastern  provinces  will  expire.  If  success  should  not  crown  our 
efforts  before  that  period,  by  proper  management  it  may  then,  when  that  treaty 
is  renewed,  as  it  most  certainly  will  be.  It  is  even  not  unlikely  that  the  lied 
River  settlement  (Assiniboia)  will  be  included.  The  subject  has  already  been 
agitated  there,  and  in  all  probability  the  only  delay  in  advancing  it  there  lies 
in  the  neglect  of  the  colonial  office  to  emancipate  Assiniboia  from  the  Hudson 
Bay  Company.  Were  that  once  done — and  the  way  events  are  tending  it  can- 
not be  long  before  it  will  be — that  isolated  community  will  be  knocking  at  the 
doors  of  the  United  States  Congress  to  be  included  in  the  renewed  recii»rocity 
treaty.  After  Assiniboia,  all  that  would  be  left  of  British  North  America  to  be 
included  in  a  reciprocity  treaty  would  be  British  Columbia,  Vancouver  island, 
and  the  Hudson  Bay  territories.  With  the  interest  that  we  have  at  stake  in 
this  matter  there  should  be  as  little  delay  as  possible. 

"  In  fact,  we  are  not  the  only  parties  interested.  It  cannot  be  said  that  the 
advantages  Avould  be  one-sided.  On  the  contrary,  reciprocity  would  be  an  equal 
advantage  to  California  or  Oregon  with  ourselves.  If  the  San  Francisco  con- 
sumers can  get  our  coal  a  dollar  cheaper  a  ton,  or  our  sawn  lumber  20  per  cent. 
less  a  thousand  feet,  or  other  articles  at  an  equally  reduced  rate,  it  will  require 
no  further  argument  to  convince  them  that  they  are  interested  in  promoting  re- 
ciprocity, and  interested  in  a  way  that  every  one  will  feel  it  in  his  pocket. 
These  commodities  we  can  supply  San  Francisco  cheaper  than  they  can  be 
had  elsewhere  on  the  coast.  Conseqmmtly  the  demand  Avould  steadily  increase. 
As  the  demand  increased,  so  would  the  consumption  of  California  or  Oregon 
produce  increase  here,  and  the  development  of  om*  country  stimulate  the  indus- 
try of  theirs.  The  prospective  importance  of  British  Columbia  would  readily 
induce  Oregon  and  California  to  seize  the  opportunity  to  send  in  their  produce 
free.  They  would  find  that  there  was  no  commercial  barrier  to  trade,  but  that 
they  enjoyed  international  free  trade.  The  fiirmers'  interests  of  British  Colum- 
bia would  not  suffer,  as  the  remoteness  of  the  farming  districts  from  the  seaboard 
is  a  moi'e  effectual  protection  than  a  tariff.  Whilst  the  consumer  at  present 
would  get  the  necessaries  of  life  cheaper,  the  revenue  of  the  colony  would  be 
raised  by  higher  duties  on  luxuries  that  only  the  wealthy  would  buy.  Any 
scheme  of  reciprocity  ought  to  include  the  whole  British  territory  of  the  Pacific — 
even  British  Siberia." 


Respectfully  submitted. 
Hon.  S.  P.  Chase,  Secretary  of  the  Treasury. 


JAMES  W.  TAYLOR. 


Exhibit  G. 

GEOGRAPHICAL  MEMOIR  OF  NORTHWEST  BRITISH  AMERICA,  AND  ITS  RELA- 
TIONS TO  THE  REVENUE  AND  COMMERCE  OF  THE  UNIIED  STATES. 

St.  Paul,  Minn.,  May  1,  1862. 

T  e  commercial  relations  of  the  United  States  M'ith  Northwest  British  America 
were  of  no  practical  importance  prior  to  1858.     The  controversy  of  1844,  as  to 


4G 


RELATIONS   BETWEEN   THE   UNITED   STATES 


the  nortlicrn  boundary  of  Orogon,  tunu'd  more  upon  cont^ldoratioiis  of  nationnl 
pride  than  of  material  advantap*,  neither  goveriinient  hohlint;;  the  country  which 
waH  tiic  Huhject  of  negotiation  to  be  deuirabh;  f(»r  coh>niiSHtion. 

Vancouver  inland,  commanding  the  Straitf*  of  Juiui  de  Fuca  and  the  har- 
borage of  ]*uget  Sound,  waH  connidored  vahiable  in  a  strategic  Hense ;  but  the 
district  of  the  main  bind  wcHt  of  the  Rocky  mounlaiuB,  and  tlien  called  "  New 
Caledonia,"  was  held  in  no  higher  entimation  than  all  geographical  authorities 
now  regard  Labrador,  its  equivalent  of  latitude  on  the  Atlantic  coant.  During 
the  dincus!<ion  in  the  IJritisli  House  of  Connnoni*,  in  184G,  the  opinion  wa«  ex- 
pressed by  a  member  that  the  whole  country  north  of  the  Columbia  river  was 
not  worth  .£20,000. 

Twenty  years  before,  or  in  1825,  Great  Britain  manifested  still  greater  in- 
ditFcrence  to  territorial  occupation  of  the  North  Pacific  coast  of  the  American 
continent.  At  that  time  Russia  was  foremost,  the  United  States  next,  and 
England  lust,  to  assert  rights  of  possession.  In  1822  Russia  issued  an  ukase, 
declaring  the  Nortli  Pacific  a  closed  sea  from  51°,  or  the  north  end  of  Van- 
couver island,  to  latitude  49°  on  the  Asiatic  coast.  This  wns  resisted  by  the 
United  States,  who  claimed  as  high  as  54°  40',  and  was  interested  that  Ameri- 
can whalers  should  not  be  excluded  from  the  North  Pacific. 

Negotiations  followed,  resulting  in  a  treaty,  of  1824,  between  the  United 
States  and  Russia,  making  54°  40'  the  boundary  between  the  two  nations,  or 
at  least  that  the  United  States  woidd  not  settle  above  nor  Russia  below  that 
latitude,  and  declaring  the  Pacific  an  open  sea. 

In  1825  Great  Britain  made  a  boundary  treaty  with  Russia.  In  the  third 
article  the  boundary  commenced  at  the  southernmost  part  of  Prince  of  Wales 
island,  in  latitude  54°  40',  between  131°  and  133°  west  longitude,  thence  up 
Portland  canal  to  5G°  of  north  latitude,  and  "  from  the  last-mentioned  point 
the  line  of  demarcation  shall  follow  the  summit  of  the  mountains  parallel  to  the 
coast  as  far  as  the  intersection  of  the  141°  of  west  longitude,"  and  then  along 
that  meridian  line  to  the  Frozen  ocean. 

Article  nine  states  that  whenever  the  summit  of  the  mountains  parallel  to  the 
coast  exceeds  ten  marine  leagues  from  the  ocean,  the  limit  between  the  British 
possessions  and  the  line  of  coast  which  is  to  belong  to  Russia  shall  be  formed 
by  a  line  parallel  to  the  windings  of  the  coast,  and  which  shall  never  exceed 
the  distance  of  ten  marine  leagues  therefrom. 

During  the  war  of  England  and  France  with  Russia  an  agreement  between 
the  Hudson  Bay  Company  and  the  Russian  Fur  Company  not  to  disturb  each 
other  was  ratifitid  by  the  English  government,  and  no  effort  was  made  to  take 
possession  of  the  coast  from  Portland  canal  to  Mount  St.  Elias.  The  fur  trade, 
in  the  language  of  a  British  journal,  "  was  considered  of  more  national  import- 
ance than  9,000  square  miles  of  territory,  v/ith  an  extensive  archipelago,  stretch- 
ing over  ten  degrees  of  longitude  along  the  coast." 

Central  British  America,  including  the  basin  of  Lake  Winnipeg  and  the 
Mackenzie  river,  was  only  known  as  the  territory  of  the  Hudson  Bay  Company, 
with  no  other  destiny  admitted  to  be  possible  than  to  remain  a  preserve  of  the 
fur  trade.  With  great  assiduity  the  climate  of  Labrador  was  assumed  to  pre- 
vail in  corresponding  latitudes  of  the  Pacific  coast,  and  by  systematic  suppres- 
sion the  physical  analogies  of  the  European  coast  Avere  overlooked. 

Prior  to  the  gold  discovery  in  California  Russia  had  shown  a  disposition  to 
occupy  that  country,  exciting  the  jealousy  of  England.  Except  for  the  Mexi- 
can war,  an  European  intervention  would  have  probably  appropriated  the  bay 
of  San  Francisco  and  the  Gulf  of  California. 

The  organization  of  colonial  governments  for  Vancouver  island  and  British 
Columbia  was  the  result  of  the  discovery  of  gold  upon  Frazer  river  and  the 
sudden  irruption  of  adventurers  in  1858.  The  colonization  of  California  under 
the  same  impulse  ushered  a  new  era  upon  the  Pacific  coast  of  North  America, 


■«  >• 


i 


AND   NORTHWEST    BRITISH   AMERICA. 


47 


and  th«  ovcntrf  of  lSr>H,  concurring  with  iinpcriul  Icfririlnfion,  anPurcH  for  the 
liarborn^  of  Puj^ctrt  Sound  a  political  and  coiinncrcial  iniportanco  oidy  eiiuallcd 
by  Sun  FranciHco. 

Central  liritiHli  America,  or  the  district  extcndiuj;  fronj  Lakes  Superior  and 
Winnipe;?  to  the  Rocky  Mountains,  next  invited  the  attention  of  the  world. 

Even  hefore  the  conini<!ticenient  of  the  discovery  of  };<dd  tipon  Frazer  river 
and  its  trihutaricH,  the  people  of  Canada  West  had  induced  tlm  Parlianietit  of 
England  to  institute  the  inquiry  whether  the;  region  in  (juestion  is  not  a<lapte(l, 
by  fertility  of  soil,  a  favorable  climate,  and  natural  advantages  of  internal  ct)in- 
munication,  for  the  support  of  a  prosperous  colony  of  England. 

The  j)arliamentary  investigation  had  a  wider  scope.  The  select  comniittc^e 
of  the  House  of  Commons  was  appointed  "to  consider  the  state  of  those  Ihitish 
possessions  in  North  America  which  are  under  the  administration  of  the  Hudson 
Bay  Company,  or  ovijr  which  they  possess  a  license  to  trade;"  and  therefore 
witnesses  w<'re  called  to  the  organisation  and  management  of  the  company  itself, 
as  well  as  the  natural  features  of  the  country  under  its  administration. 

On  the  31st  of  July,  IS.O?,  the  committee  reported  a  large  body  of  testimony, 
but  without  any  decisive  recommendations.  They  "apprehend  that  the  districts 
on  the  lied  River  and  tlu?  Saskatchewan  are  among  tliose  most  likely  to  l)e  de- 
sired for  early  occupation,"  and  "trust  that  then;  will  he  no  ditKculty  in  eflV-cting 
arrangements  between  her  Majesty's  government  and  the  Hudson  Bay  Company 
by  which  those  districts  may  be  ceded  to  Canada  on  (Mjuitable  priuciph'S,  and 
within  the  districts  thus  annexed  to  her  the  authority  of  the  Hudson  Bay  Com- 
pany Avonld  of  course  entirely  cease."  They  defamed  it  "  proper  to  terminate 
the  coniu;xion  of  thi^  Hudson  Bay  Company  with  Vancouver  island  as  soon  as 
it  could  conveniently  be  done,  as  the  best  means  of  favoring  tlu^  develo[)mcnt  of 
the  great  natural  advantages  of  that  important  colony;  and  that  means  should 
also  be  provided  for  the  ultimate  extension  of  the  colony  over  any  jtortion  of  the 
adjacent  continent,  to  the  west  of  the  Rocky  mountains,  on  Avhich  permanent 
settlements  may  b(!  found  practicable." 

These  suggestions  indicate  a  conviction  that  the  zone  of  the  North  American 
continent,  betw(  .i  latitudes  49^  and  r)5^,  embracing  the  Re<l  River  and  the  Sat;- 
katchewan  districts  east  of  the  Rocky  mountains,  and  the  area  on  their  w(;stern 
slope,  since  organized  as  British  Columbia,  was,  in  thejudgnjent  of  the  committee, 
suitable  for  permanent  settlement.  As  to  the  territory  north  of  the  parallel  of 
55°,  an  opinion  was  intimated  that  the  organization  of  the  Hudson  Bay  Company 
was  best  adapted  to  the  condition  of  the  country  and  its  inhabitants. 

Within  a  year  after  the  publication  of  the  report  a  great  change  passed  over 
the  North  Pacific  coast.  The  gold  discovery  on  the  Frazer  river  occurred; 
the  Pacific  populations  flamed  with  excitement;  British  Columbia  was  promptly 
organized  as  a  colony  of  England ;  and,  amid  the  acclamations  of  Parliament 
and  people,  Sir  Edward  Bulwer  Lytton  proclaimed,  in  the  name  of  the  govern- 
ment, the  policy  of  continuous  colonies  from  Lake  Superior  to  the  Pacific,  and 
a  highway  across  British  America  as  the  most  direct  route  from  London  to  Pekin 
or  Jeddo. 

The  eastern  boundary  of  British  Columbia  was  fixed  upon  the  Rocky  moun- 
tains. 

The  question  recurred  with  great  force.  What  shall  be  the  destiny  of  the  fertile 
plains  of  the  Saskatchewan  and  the  Red  River  of  the  North  ?  Canada  pushed 
forward  an  exploration  of  the  route  from  Fort  William,  on  Lake  Superior,  to 
Fort  Garry,  on  the  Red  river,  and,  under  the  direction  of  S.  J.  Dawson,  esq., 
civil  engineer,  and  Professor  J.  T.  Hinde,  gave  to  the  world  an  impartial  and 
impressive  summary  of  the  great  natural  resources  of  the  basin  of  Lake  Winni- 
peg. The  merchants  of  New  York  were  prompt  to  perceive  the  advantages  of 
connecting  the  Erie  canal  and  the  great  lakes  with  the  navigable  channels  of 
Northwest  America,  now  become  prominent  and  familiar  designations  of  com- 


48 


RELATIONS   llETWKEN   THE   UNITED   STATES 


iiu'i-oial  };<'()f,'ra|tliy.  A  rcpoit  to  tlic  New  York  ClmnilxT  of  Coinmorco  very 
(lir<tii)ctly  corrcctiul  tlit;  citoiicouh  iinpn-HF^iuii  that  tlit;  vulleyH  of  tlu;  MiHHiHHippt 
nnd  St.  Jiawn-iicM'  rivcrrt  cxliuuHti'd  the  northern  niid  central  ureiiH  which  are 
availalile  for  aj^riciiltiin'. 

"  Tliere  in  in  the  heart  of  Nortli  America,"  said  the  report  "n  dictiiict  Hub- 
divinion,  of  which  Lak<!  Wiiinii»e};  may  he  rejfurch^d  an  tlie  centre.  Thia  Hnb- 
divirtion,  like  tlur  vaUey  of  the  .Minftinnippi,  is  di»4tin<;niKlied  for  tlie  fertility  of  its 
noil,  and  for  the  extent  nnd  j^enth;  Hh»|»e  of  itn  };reat  phiinH,  watered  by  rivern  (»f 
p'eat  h-n^th,  an<l  admirably  achipted  for  Hteam  navigation.  It  IniH  n  climate  not 
exceedinj;  in  severity  that  of  many  portions  of  Canada  nnd  the  eaHt(;rn  States. 
It  will,  in  all  rexpectn,  compare  favorably  with  Honu;  of  the  moHt  densely  peopled 
tortionrt  of  the  continent  of  Kurope.  In  other  words,  it  in  admirably  fitted  to 
lecome  the  seat  of  a  nnmerous,  hardy,  and  prowpttronrt  connnnnity.  It  has  nn 
nr(!a  e(jual  to  ei«;;lit  or  ten  first  class  American  States.  Its  j^reat  river,  the  Sas- 
katchewan, carries  a  navi<;;abl(!  water  line  to  the  very  base  of  the  Rocky  moun- 
tains. It  is  not  at  all  iniprobabh,'  that  the  valley  of  this  river  may  yet  offer  the 
best  rout«!  tor  a  railroad  to  the  Pacific.  The  nnvi<j;able  waters  of  this  {^reat  sub- 
division interloi^.  with  those  of  the  Mississippi.  The  lied  Iliver  of  the  North,  in 
connexion  with  Lake  Winnipej;,  into  which  it  falls,  tonus  a  navi<;able  wat(!rline, 
extendinj^  directly  north  and  south,  nearly  eij^ht  hundred  miles.  Tlu^  lied  Iliver 
is  on(!  of  the  best  adaj)ted  to  the  use  of  steam  in  the  world,  and  waters  one  of 
the  finest  regions  on  the  continent.  Between  the  highest  jioint  at  which  it  is 
navigable  and  St.  Paul,  on  the  Mississippi,  a  railroad  is  in  process  of  construction ; 
nnd  when  this  road  is  completed  another  grand  division  of  the  continent,  com- 
prising half  a  million  s(nmre  miles,  Avill  be  open  to  settlement." 

Th(!  sanguine  temper  of  these  renuirks  illustrates  the  rapid  progress  of  public 
sentiment  since  tlie  date  of  the  parliamentary  inquiry,  only  eighteen  months 
before.  Of  the  same  tenor,  thongli  fuller  in  details,  were  publications  on  the 
subject  in  Canada  and  even  in  England.  The  year  1859  opened  with  greatly 
augmented  interest  in  the  district  of  Central  British  America.  The  manifesta- 
tion of  this  interest  varicul  with  localities  and  circumstances. 

In  Canada  no  opportunity  was  omit  ed,  either  in  parliament  or  by  the  press, 
to  demonstrate  the  impr  rtance  to  the  Atlantic  and  lake  provinces  of  extending 
settlements  into  the  prairies  of  Assinniboin  nnd  Saskatchewan — tlu^reby  aft'ord- 
ing  advantages  to  provincial  coniinerce  and  manufactures  like  those  which  the 
communities  of  the  Mississippi  valley  have  conferred  upon  the  older  American 
States.  Nevertheless,  the  Canadian  government  declined  to  institute  proceed- 
ings before  the  English  court  of  chancery  or  queen's  bench,  to  determine  the 
validity  of  the  charter  of  the  Hudson  Bay  Company,  assigning,  as  reasons  for 
not  acceding  to  such  a  suggestion  by  the  law  officers  of  the  crown,  that  the  pro- 
posed litigation  might  be  greatly  protracted,  while  the  interests  involved  were 
urgent,  and  that  the  duty  of  a  prompt  and  definite  adjustment  of  the  condition 
and  relations  of  the  lied  Iliver  and  Saskatchewan  districts  was  manifestly  in- 
cumbent upon  the  imperial  authority. 

This  decision,  added  to  the  indisposition  of  Lower  Canada  to  the  policy  of 
westward  expansion,  is  understood  to  have  convinced  Sir  E.  B.  Lytton  that  an- 
nexation of  the  Winnipeg  basin  to  Canada  was  impracticable,  and  that  the 
exclusive  occupation  by  the  Hudson  Bay  Company  could  be  removed  only  by 
the  organization  of  a  separate  colony.  The  founder  of  British  Columbia  de- 
voted the  latter  portion  of  his  administration  of  the  colonial  office  to  measures 
for  the  satisfactory  arrangement  of  conflicting  interests  in  British  America.  In 
October,  1858,  he  proposed  to  the  directors  of  the  Hudson  Bay  Company  that 
they  should  be  consenting  parties  to  a  reference  of  questions  respecting  the 
validity  and  extent  of  their  charter,  and  respecting  the  geographical  extent  of 
their  territory,  to  the  judicial  committee  of  the  privy  council.  The  company 
"  reasserted  their  right  to  the  privileges  granted  to  them  by  their  charter  of  in- 


AND   NORTHWEST    IJRITI8H    AMKRICA. 


49 


corporation,"  and  n'fu:*o(l  to  ho  a  t'onK<'ntinj;  party  to  any  jjroccodiiig  wliich  inij^ht 
call  in  qnoHtion  tlirir  cliarton'd  rifjlitn. 

Under  dat«!  of  November  3,  IS-OS,  Lctrd  (.'nernarvon,  wei-retary  of  ntate  for  the 
colonicH,  by  the  direction  of  Sir  K.  H.  Lytton,  retum.d  a  despatch,  tiie  tenor 
of  which  ia  a  key  not  only  to  Sir  Edward's  line  of  policy,  but,  in  all  probability, 
to  that  of  hirt  HuccenHor,  the  Duke  of  Nc^weanth'.  Lord  Caernarvon  bepm  by 
cxpreHfling  the  disappointment  and  rej^ret  with  which  Sir  E.  IJ.  Lytton  had 
received  the  conimiuucation,  containinjif,  if  he  unch^rntood  its  tenor  correctly,  a 
distinct  refusal  on  the  part  of  the  Hudson  Hay  CJompany  to  entertain  any 
proposal  with  a  view  of  adjustinpj  the  conHictinj;  claims  of  Great  Britain,  of  Can- 
ada, and  of  the  company,  or  to  join  with  her  Majesty's  government  in  aftbrding 
reasonable  facilities  for  the  settlement  of  the  ou(>stion«  in  whicli  imperial  no  less 
than  colonial  interests  were  involved.  It  haii  b(*n  his  anxious  desire  to  come 
to  some  equitable  and  conciliatory  agreement,  by  which  all  ligitimate  claims  of 
the  company  should  b(!  fairly  considered  with  reference  to  the  territories  or  the 
privileges  they  might  be  required  to  surrender.  He  suggested  that  such  a  pro- 
cedure, while  advantageous  to  the  interests  of  all  parties,  might  prove  particu- 
larly for  the  interest  of  the  Hudson  Bay  Company.  '♦  It  would  aftbrd  a 
tribunal  pre-eminently  fitted  for  the  dispassionate  considerati(m  of  the  questions 
at  issue ;  it  would  secure  a  decision  which  would  probably  b(j  rather  of  the  na- 
ture of  an  arbitration  than  of  a  judgment ;  and  "it  would  furnish  a  basis  of  nego- 
tiation on  which  reciprocal  concession  .'uul  the  claims  for  compensation  could  be 
most  successfully  discussed." 

With  SMch  persuasive  n.'iteration,  Lord  Caernarvon,  in  the  name  and  at  tin; 
instance  of  Sir  E.  B.  Lytton,  insisted  that  the  wis(!st  and  most  dignified  course 
would  be  found  in  an  appeal  to  and  a  decision  by  the  judicial  committee  of  the 
privy  council,  with  the  concurrence  alike  of  Canada  and  the  Hudson  Bay 
Company.  In  conclusion,  the  company  were  once  more  assured  that,  if  they 
would  meet  Sir  E.  B.  Lytton  in  finding  the  solution  of  a  recognized  difflculty, 
and  would  undertake  to  give  all  reasonable  facilities  for  trying  the  validity  of 
their  disputed  charter,  they  might  be  assured  that  they  would  meet  with  fair  and 
liberal  treatment,  so  far  as  her  Majesty's  government  was  concerned ;  but  if,  on 
the  other  hand,  the  company  persisted  in  declining  these  terms,  and  could  sug- 
gest no  other  practicable  mode  of  agreement,  Sir  E.  B.  Lytton  held  himself  ac- 
quitted of  further  responsibility  to  the  interests  of  the  company,  and  proposed 
to  take  the  necessary  steps  for  closing  a  controversy  too  long  open,  and  for 
securing  a  definite  decision,  due  alike  to  the  material  development  of  British 
North  America  and  to  the  requirements  of  an  advancing  civilization. 

The  communication  of  Lord  Caernarvon  stated,  in  addition,  that,  in  the  case 
last  supposed,  the  removal  of  the  exclusive  license  to  trade  in  any  part  of  the 
Indian  Territory — a  renewal  which  could  be  justified  to  parliament  oidy  as  a 
part  of  a  generol  agreement  adjusted  on  the  principles  of  mutual  concession — 
would  become  impossible. 

These  representations  failed  to  influence  the  company.  The  deputy  gover- 
nor, Mr.  H.  H.  Barens,  responded  that,  as,  in  1850,  the  company  had  assented 
to  an  inquiry  before  the  privy  council  into  the  legality  of  certain  powers  claimed 
and  exercised  by  them  under  their  charter,  but  not  questioning  the  validity  of 
the  charter  itself,  so,  at  this  time,  if  the  reference  to  the  privy  council  were  re- 
stricted to  the  question  of  the  geographical  extent  of  the  territory  claimed 
by  the  company  in  accordance  with  a  proposition  made  in  July,  1857,  by  Mr. 
Labouchere,  then  secretary  of  state  for  the  colonies,  the  directors  would  recom- 
mend to  their  shareholders  to  concur  in  the  course  suggested ;  but  must  decline 
to  do  so,  if  the  inquiry  involved  not  merely  the  question  of  the  geographical 
boundary  of  the  territories  claimed  by  them,  but  a  challenge  of  the  validity  of 
the  charter  itself,  and,  as  a  consequence,  of  the  rights  and  privileges  which  it 

H.  Ex.  Doc.  146 4 


60 


KRLATIONH    HKTWEEN   TTIE   UNITED   STATES 


prdfi'HHC'd  to  (frnnt.  iiiul  which  tin-  coinpnny  had  oxcrciHod  for  a  jM'ri(Ml  of  nc  irly 
two  hundred  ynirn.  Mr.  liarciiH  prufi-HHc*!  thnt  thf  coinpnny  iind  nt  nil  timi'H 
h<-fii  willing  to  <>nt«-rtiiin  any  propt^al  that  uii);ht  ho  inad(>  to  thcni  for  th«  Hiir- 
rcndcr  of  any  of  their  rijjhti*,  or  of  any  jHtrtion  of  their  territory  ;  hut  \u'  regarded 
it  HH  one  thing  to  conr«ent,  for  a  connideration  to  he  agreed  upon,  to  t\u'  Hiirrender 
of  a(hnitted  rightn,  and  (|uite  another  to  vohuiteer  a  conh«ent  to  an  incjuiry  which 
nliouhl  call  those  rightH  in  ((nestion. 

A  rcHult  of  thin  correHpondence  Iiuh  heen  the  definite  refurtal  of  the  crown  to 
renew  the  exclusive  license  to  trade  in  Indian  t<'rritory.  The  licenrto  hnd  hoeu 
twice  granted  to  the  company,  under  an  act  of  jtarlinment  authoriising  it,  for 
periods  t»f  twenty-one  years — once  in  isai,  and  again  in  1h;J8,  It  expired  on 
the  .'JOth  of  May,  18/50.  In  conse(|uence  of  tluH  refusal  the  comnaiiy  must  de- 
pend exclusively  upon  tlu!  tenns  of  their  charter  for  their  ppecial  nrivileges  in 
Itritish  Anun'ica.  The  charter  jIm  s  frrtm  1G70 — a  grant  hy  Charles  II  to 
I'rince  Kunert  and  his  associates,  "  adventurers  of  England,  trading  in  Iludnoii 
hay" — anu  is  claimed  to  give  the  right  of  (exclusive  trade  and  of  territorial 
dominion  to  Hudson  hay  and  trihutary  rivers.  IJy  tin;  expiration  of  the  oxclu- 
sive  license  of  Indian  trade,  and  the  termination  in  1859  of  the  lease  of  Van- 
couver's island  from  the  Hritish  governm<'nt,  the  sway  and  influenc«*  of  the  com- 
]>any  are  greatly  restricted,  and  the  feasihility  of  some  permanent  adjustment  in 
j»ro[)ortionately  increased. 

Then;  is  no  nec<'ssity  for  n'penting  here  the  voluminous  argument  for  and 
against  the;  charter  of  the  Hudson  Jiny  Company.  The  interest  of  British 
colonizati(»n  in  Northwest  America  far  transcends  any  technical  inquiry  of  the 
kind,  and  the  Canadian  statesmen  arc  wise  in  declining  to  relieve  tiie  English 
cahinet  from  the  obligation  to  act  definitely  and  speedily  upon  the  subject.  The 
organization  of  the  East  India  Comj)any  was  no  obstacle  to  n  measure  demanded 
by  the  honor  of  England  and  the  welfare  of  India  ;  and  certainly  the  parchment 
of  the  Second  Charles  will  not  deter  any  deliberate  expression  by  parliament  in 
regard  to  the  colonization  of  Central  British  America.  Indeed,  the  managers  of 
the  Hudson  Bay  Company  arc  always  careful  to  recognize  the  probability  of  a 
compromise  with  the  government.  Tlie  late  letter  of  Mr.  Barens  to  Ijord  Caer- 
narvon expressed  a  willingness,  at  any  time,  to  entertain  proposals  for  the  sur- 
render of  franchises  or  territory ;  ana  in  1848  Sir  J.  H.  Pelly,  governor  of  the 
company,  thus  expressed  himself  in  a  letter  to  Lord  Grey :  "  As  far  as  I  am 
concerned,  (and  I  think  the  company  will  concur  if  any  great  national  benefit 
would  be  expected  from  it,)  I  would  be  willing  to  relinquish  the  whole  of  the 
territory  held  under  the  charter  on  similar  terms  to  those  which  it  is  proposed 
the  East  India  Company  shall  receive  on  the  expiration  of  their  charter,  namely, 
securing  the  proprietors  an  interest  on  their  capital  of  ten  per  cent." 

At  the  adjournment  of  the  Canadian  parliament  and  tlic  retirement  of  the 
Derby  ministry,  in  the  early  part  of  1859,  the  position  and  prospects  of  Eng- 
lish colonization  in  Northwest  America  were  as  follows : 

1.  Vancouver's  island  and  British  Columbia  had  passed  from  the  occupation 
of  the  Hudson  Bay  Company  into  an  efficient  organization.  The  gold  fields 
of  the  interior  had  been  ascertained  to  equal  in  productiveness,  and  greatly  to 
exceed  in  extent,  those  of  California ;  the  prospect  for  agriculture  was  no  less 
favorable,  while  the  commercial  importance  of  Vancouver  and  the  harbors  of 
Puget's  sound  is  unquestionable. 

2.  The  eastern  slope  of  the  Rocky  mountains  and  the  valleys  of  the  Sas- 
katchewan and  Red  River  were  shown  by  explorations,  conducted  under  the 
auspices  of  the  London  Geographical  Society  and  the  Canadian  authorities,  to 
be  a  district  of  nearly  four  hundred  thousand  square  miles,  in  which  a  fertile 
soil,  favorable  climate,  useful  and  precious  minerals,  fur-bearing  and  food-yield- 
ing animals — in  a  word,  the  most  lavish  gifts  of  nature,  constituted  highly  satis- 


AND    NOKTIIVVKHT    HKITIMII    AMKKK'A. 


51 


Jl 


t'lU'tory  ('oiidiiioiiH  fur  tin-  orpiiiiKntion  hihI  Mittliiiuiit  of  n  |iroH|in'iiiiH  ciiiiiiiiii- 
uity. 

'A.  Ill  rcpii'd  to  the  IIiuIhoii  Hay  ('oiii|)aiiy,  a  (liH|ioHitioii  prevailed  not  to 
disturb  itH  idiarter,  on  condition  that  itr*  diieelury  made  no  iitteniptH  to  entori-e 
an  ext'liihive  trade  or  iiit<'rfere  witli  tlie  |irn;;nr'H  of  piettlenieiitH.  All  partien  an- 
ticipated parliamentary  action.  Lettern  from  I<ondon  Hpoke  with  conHdence  of  a 
hill,  draii^^'hted  and  in  circulation  ainon^'  meniliei-K  of  rarliiiiiient,  for  the  erection 
of  a  colony  hetween  I^ake  Superior  and  Winnipej-;  and  the  eastern  limitH  of 
l{riti^<ll  (*<dumhia,  with  a  northern  houndary  renting  on  the  parallel  of />.0 ' ;  and 
which,  althouf^h  poHtponed  hy  a  chan<;e  of  minii^try,  wan  nnuerstood  to  represent 
the  vicwH  (»f  the  Duke  of  Newcantle,  the  Hiicce'r'Hor  of  Sir  K.  11.  Lytton. 

4.  In  Caiwuhi  Went  a  HyHtem  of  communication  from  Tort  William  to  Fort 
(lUrry,  and  thenco  to  the  Pacific,  wax  intrur<ted  to  a  company — the  Northwest 
Transit — which  was  hy  no  meann  inactive.  A  mail  to  Ued  Uiver,  over  the  same 
route,  was  alHo  sustained  from  the  (.'anadian  treasury ;  and  parliament,  amoni; 
the  acts  of  its  nrevious  session,  had  cttnceded  a  chartJ'r  for  a  line  of  tele;;rapli 
through  the  valn-ys  of  the  Saskatchewan,  with  a  view  to  an  extension  to  the 
Pacific  coast,  and  even  to  Asiatic  llussia. 

Simultaneouslv  with  these  movements  in  Knfjland  and  Oanada,  tin-  citizens 
of  the  State  of  Minnesota,  after  a  winter  of  active  discussion,  announced  a  de- 
termination to  introduce  steam  iiavipitioii  on  the  Hed  Uiver  of  the  North.  ParticH 
were  induced  to  traiisp(»rt  the  machinery  and  cabins,  with  timber  for  the  hull  (tf 
a  steamer,  fnnn  the  ujtper  Mississippi,  near  Crow  Win};;,  to  the  mouth  (»f  the 
Shavenne,  on  the  Ked  river,  where  the  boat  was  reconstructed.  The  first  voya};e 
of  the  steamer  was  from  Port  Abercrombie,  an  Anu-ri  m  post,  two  hundred 
miles  northwest  of  St.  Paul,  down  north  to  Port  (Jarr) ,  duriii},'  the  month  of 
June.  The  reception  of  the  Htraiifjer  was  attended  by  extraordinary  dernon- 
Htrations  of  enthusiasm  at  Selkirk.  The  bells  of  Saint  li«»iiifiice  ranj^  f^reetiii},', 
jind  Fort  (Jarry  blasted  powder  as  if  the  j^<;«'ernor  of  tlu'  company  wj-re  ap- 
proaching its  portal.  This  unique  but  iut(;resting  community  fully  appreciated 
the  fact  that  steam  had  brought  their  interests  within  tlie  circle  of  the  world's 
activities. 

This  incident  Avas  the  legitimate  sequel  to  events  in  Minnesota  which  liad 
transpired  during  a  period  of  ten  years.  Organized  as  a  Territory  in  1849,  a 
single  decade  had  brought  the  population,  the  resources,  and  the  public  recogni- 
tion of  an  American  State.  A  railroad  system  connecting  the  lines  of  the  lake 
States  and  provinces  at  La  Crosse  with  the  international  frontier  on  the  lied 
river  at  Pembina  was  not  only  projected,  but  had  secured  in  aid  of  its  construc- 
tion a  grant  by  the  Congress  of  the  United  States  of  three  thousand  eight 
hundred  and  forty  acres  a  mile,  and  a  loan  of  State  credit  to  the  amount  of 
twenty  thousand  dollars  a  mile,  not  exceeding  an  aggregate  of  five  million 
dollars.  Different  sections  of  this  important  extension  of  the  Canadian  and 
American  railways  were  under  contract  and  in  process  of  constriiction.  In 
addition,  the  land  surveys  of  the  federal  government  had  reached  the  navigable 
channel  of  the  Red  river,  and  the  Hne  of  frontier  settlement,  attended  by  a 
weekly  mail,  had  advanced  to  the  same  point.  Thus  the  government  of  the 
United  States,  no  less  than  the  people  and  authorities  of  Minnesota,  were  repre- 
sented in  the  northwest  movement. 

The  foregoing  statement  of  the  condition  of  things  at  the  beginning  of  1860 
is  not  materially  changed.  The  Palmerston  ministry  has  not  prosecuted  to  effect 
the  masterly  and  comprehensive  policy  of  Sir  E.  B.  Lytton.  The  commerce  of 
Minnesota  with  Selkirk  and  the  Saskatchewan  valley  has  increased,  being 
double  in  1861  what  was  transported  in  1860.  Selkirk  settlement  is  still  un- 
recognized as  a  province  of  England ;  its  population  not  materially  enlarged, 
and  mostly  by  American  emigrants. 

At  this  juncture  a  new  impulse  is  given  to  the  gold  discoveries  of  British 


52 


RELATIONS    BETWEEN    THE    UNITED    STATES 


Columbia.  The  "  Cftrihoo  district "  becomes  the,  destination  of  thousands  from 
every  portion  of  the  civilized  world ;  and  it  is  ascertained  that  the  mountain 
ranges,  which  are  alike  the  sources  of  the  Columbia,  the  Frazer,  the  Peace,  the 
Athabasca,  and  the  Saskatchewan  rivers,  with  an  average  latitude  of  54''  and 
an  average  longitude  of  120°,  must  inevitably  be  transformed  into  an  active 
scene  of  mining  adventure.  If  so,  Central  British  America,  as  I  designate  the 
plains  of  the  river  basins  converging  to  Lake  Winnipeg  and  closely  connected 
M'ith  the  northwestern  States,  is  sure  of  prompt  organization  and  settlement. 

With  these  expectations  I  propose  in  this  report  to  indicate  the  physical  apti- 
tude of  Northwest  British  America,  and  other  considerations  favorable  to  its 
colonization.  Those  made  apparent,  the  relations  of  commerce  and  revenue 
incident  to  such  an  extension  of  Anglo-American  civilization  will  suggest  them- 
selves. 

I  propose  the  following  subdivision  of  topics : 

Part      I.  The  physical  geography  of  Northwest  British  America. 

Part    II.  The  liistory  and  organization  of  the  Hudson  Bay  Company. 

Part  III.  Selkirk  settlement,  its  foundation,  institutions,  and  agriculture. 

Part  IV.  The  gold  discoveries  and  their  influence. 

Part     V.  Relations  of  Northwest  British  America  to  the  United  States. 

PART  I. 

THE  PHYSICAL  GEOGRAPHY  OF  NORTHWEST  BRITISH  AMERICA. 


The  mean  annual  temperature  of  35°  is  the  limit  of  the  north  temperate  zone. 
South  of  this  isotherm,  but  adjacent  thereto,  are  the  districts  on  both  continents 
best  adapted  to  the  growth  of  the  cereals  and  the  sustenance  of  cattlci — the 
production  of  bread  and  meat. 

Beginning  on  the  northwest  coast,  this  line  touches  Sitka,  in  Russian  America, 
thence  bears  with  a  southeast  inclination  to  Lake  Winnipeg,  pursues  the  north 
shore  of  Lake  Superior,  crosses  the  St.  Lawrence,  and  extends  to  St.  John's, 
Newfoundland. 

Of  the  area  south  of  this  boundary  to  successful  agi'iculture,  f^Uy  two-thirds 
is  west  of  the  longitude  of  St.  Paul,  Minnesota,  and  is  the  subject  of  the  pres- 
ent investigation.  I  premise  a  detailed  statement  of  the  advantages  and  pros- 
pects of  civilized  settlement  by  some  general  observations  upon  climate. 


climate  of  the  pacific  slope. 

Briefly,  Vancouver's  island  has  the  littoral  climate  of  Ireland;  while  the 
southern  districts  of  British  Columbia,  M-hich  are  within  the  latitude  of  Van- 
couver, are  not  unlike  England,  making  proper  allowance  for  the  exceptional  in- 
fluence of  mountain  elevations.  The  analogy  between  the  Atlantic  coast  of  Eu- 
rope and  the  Pacific  coast  of  North  America  will  hold  from  Sonora  to  Sitka. 
Spain  and  Italy  is  the  climatic  equivalent  of  Sonora  and  southern  California ; 
northern  France,  of  Oregon  and  Wa.'hington ;  while  Great  Britain  presents  the 
same  analogy  to  British  Columbia.  Glasgow,  in  Scotland,  and  Sitka,  in  Russian 
America,  of  about  the  same  latitude,  arc  nearly  identical  in  geographical  position 
and  in  climate. 


-) 


climate  of  central  BRITISH  AMERICA. 

East  of  the  Rocky  mountains  the  great  nor  liwestem  plains  have  a  ^  ">ntinental 
climate,  and  I  can  best  illustrnte  my  own  conclusions  in  the  premises  bj'  a  c^'  \- 
parison  with  a  similar  area  of  European  Russia.  Draw  a  line  from  St.  Peters- 
burg twenty  degrees  east,  and  another  ten  degrees  south,  extending  them  into 


AND   NORTHWEST    BRITISH    AMERICA. 


53 


the  form  of  a  pnrallolofp-am,  and  a  r('}:;ioii  is  dcscribi'd  wlio.'^c  area  corresponds 
with  that  botwocn  Lakes  Superior  and  Winui|i('};'  on  (tnc  side,  and  the  Rocky 
mountains  on  th(j  west,  and  extending  from  hititude  44'^  to  54^.  No  two  sec- 
tions of  the  respective  continents  more  closely  resemble  each  other  than  do 
those  above  delineated.  Both  ivr's  immense  plains,  developing  the  silurian,  car- 
boniferous, and,  in  some  measure,  a  cretaceous  geological  formation.  The-  Mis- 
souri, Mississippi,  and  Saskatchewan  may  be  set  off  against  the  Dnieper,  the 
Don,  and  the  Volga,  of  Russia;  while,  in  respect  to  climate  and  productions,  the 
American  district  resembles  the  followhig  particulars  of  European  Russia. 

It  is  usual  to  consider  Russia  in  Europe  in  four  distinct  divisions  :  a  polar 
region,  including  all  the  cotmtry  north  of  latitude  G7°  ;  a  cold  region,  extending 
from  G7°  to  57® ;  a  temperate  region,  from  57°  to  60°,  and  a  warm  region,  from  50" 
to  37°.  Our  continental  latitude, from  44°  to  54°,  represents  the  Russian  temperate 
zone  from  50°  to  57°,  as  well  as  throe  degrees  of  the  cold  division,  namely,  to 
the  latitude  of  St.  Petersburg,  or  60°  north.     " 

The  temperate  region  of  Russia  has  a  mean  annual  temperature  of  from  40° 
to  50°,  and  includes  within  it  the  finest  and  most  populous  portion  of  the  empire; 
though  even  here  the  thermometer  has  a  very  wide  range,  the  summer  lieat, 
which  suffices  to  grow  melons  and  similar  fruits  in  the  open  fields,  being  often 
succeeded  by  very  rigorous  winters.  Even  the  sea  of  Azof,  much  further  south, 
usually  freezes  about  the  beginning  of  November,  and  is  seldom  open  before  the 
beginning  of  April.  The  oak  is  seldom  found  below  latitude  61° ;  few  fruit  trees 
are  found  beyond  56°,  and  their  regular  culture  cannot  be  profitably  carried  on 
north  of  the  53d  parallel.  In  this  latitude  (still  speaking  of  Russia)  apples, 
pears,  and  plums  become  abundant ;  and  still  further  south  peiiches,  apricots, 
&c.,  flourish.  The  northern  limit  of  rye  is  65°,  of  barley  67°,  and  oats  even 
further  north. 

Wheat  is  cultivated  in  Norway  to  Drontheim,  latitude  64° ;  in  Sweden  to 
latitude  62° ;  in  western  Russia  to  the  environs  of  St.  Petersburg,  latitude  60° 
15' ;  while  in  central  Russia  the  limit  of  cultivation  appears  to  coincide  with 
the  parallel  of  58°  or  59°.  It  is  well  understood  that  the  growth  of  the  corealia 
and  of  the  most  useful  vegetables  depends  chiefly  on  the  intensity  and  duration 
of  the  summer  heats,  and  is  comparatively  little  influenced  by  the  severity  of 
the  winter  cold  or  the  lowness  of  the  mean  temperature  of  the  year.  In  Rus- 
sia, as  well  as  in  Central  America,  the  summer  heats  are  as  remarkable  as  the 
winter  cold.  The  northern  sho"  of  Lake  Huron  has  the  mean  summer  heat  of 
Bordeaux,  in  southern  France  jr  70°  Fahrenheit,  and  Cumberland  House,  on  the 
Saskatchewan,  exceeds  in  tliis  respect  Brussels  or  Paris.  It  is  remarked  by 
Sir  John  Richardson,  {n\v\  such  also  is  the  analogy  of  Russian  Europe,)  that 
the  prairies  south  of  55°  enjoy  milder  winters  than  the  more  eastern  districts. 

I  have  no  doubt  that  potatoes  and  the  hardier  garden  vegetables,  oati?,  rye, 
.and  barley,  can  be  profitably  cultivated  as  far  north  as  54°  in  the  Saskatchewan 
district;  that  wheat,  rnd  such  fruits  as  yield  cider,  are  safe  as  fin-  as  52^^;  and 
that  maize  may  be  cultivated  at  least  to  latitude  50° ;  while  the  country  between 
44°  and  51°  is  as  nearly  as  possible  the  counterpart  of  the  temperate  zone  of 
European  Russia.  With  the  same  system  of  canalage  and  a  reasonable  degree 
of  railroad  connexion,  our  vast  northern  plain  can  sustain  as  dense,  and,  with 
our  institutions  and  land  tenures,  a  denser  population  than  the  heart  of  the 
Russian  empire. 

Its  capacity  to  support  life  is  shown  by  the  variety  and  abundance  of  wild 
animals.  Many  of  these  might  be  domesticated,  and  would  constitute  a  great 
resource.  Besides  innumerable  fur-bearing  creatures,  there  are  four  different 
kinds  of  deer;  the  cariboo  or  reindeer  ranges  from  50-  to  66^;  the  Rocky 
mountain  goat,  whose  wool  is  highly  prized  in  the  manufacture  of  shawls,  fre- 
quents the  highhinds  from  40°  to  60°;  the  Wiaon  swarms  in  the  prairies  west  of 
longitude  105^,  and  south  of  latitude  60';   and  the  streams  and  lakes  abound 


i 


54 


RELATIONS   BETWEEN    THE    UNITED   STATES 


in  choice  varieties  of  fisli.  No  region  of  the  globe  is  more  riclily  endowed  with 
thepc  allies  and  slaves  of  the  human  race. 

The  rigorous  winter  climate  is  no  obstacle  to  tlu;  futun;  occupation  of  these 
northern  plains.  The  corresponding  district  of  Russia,  with  the  same  climate, 
is,  as  already  shown,  the  most  populous  and  fiotirishing  portion  of  the  empire. 
There  is  much  misappreh.ension  on  this  subject.  Mr.  E.  Merriam,  a  distin- 
guished meteorologist,  states,  in  a  revicAv  of  the  recent  Arctic  expeditions,  that 
nature  has  qualified  man  to  breathe  an  atmosphere  120°  above  zero,  or  60° 
below  it,  a  difference  of  180°,  without  injury  to  health;  and  the  doctrine  of 
physicians  that  great  and  sudden  changes  of  temperature  are  injurious  to  health 
is  disproved  by  recorded  facts. 

With  this  general  analysis,  J  proceed  to  more  specific  delineation,  proceeding 
in  the  nan-ative  of  the  general  features  of  the  country  west  from  the  British 
coast  of  Lake  Superior. 

ITINERARY    OF   SIR    GEORGE   SIMPSON. 


I 


From  the  "Overland  Journey  Around  the  World  in  1841-'42,  of  Grovemor 
Simpson,  who  was  for  more  than  thirty  years  the  executive  of  the  Hudson  Bay 
Company,"  it  is  proposed  to  furnish  an  abstract  of  whatever  seems  pertinent  to 
the  present  discussion,  during  his  journey  from  Fort  William,  on  the  northwest 
shore  of  Lake  Superior,  to  the  summit  of  the  Rocky  mountains.  These  details 
have  been  gleaned  from  the  pages  of  his  published  volume,  and  are  arranged 
under  dates  as  foUov/s : 

Mai/  29. — Ascended  the  Kamanistaquoia  river  through  forests  of  elm,  oak, 
piue,  birch,  &c.,  the  stream  studded  by  islands  not  less  fertile  and  lovely  than 
its  banks,  reminding  the  party  of  the  rich  and  quiet  scenery  of  England.  Of 
flowers,  the  violet  and  rose,  and  of  fruits,  the  currant,  gooseberry,  raspberry, 
cherry,  and  oven  the  vine,  are  mentioned  as  abundant.  Simpson  anticipates  that 
this  "fair  valley"  will  become  the  happy  home  of  civilized  men,  and  furnish  a 
near  and  cheap  supply  of  agricultural  produce  to  the  mines  of  the  northern 
shore  of  Lake  Superior. 

May  30. — Crossed  the  Dog  Portage,  about  two  miles  in  length,  to  the  waters 
flowing  westward  into  Rainy  lake.  The  river  from  the  summit  is  described  as 
"  a  panorama  of  hill  and  dale,  checkered  with  the  various  tints  of  the  pine,  the 
aspen,  the  ash,  and  the  oak,  while  through  the  middle  there  meanders  the  silvery 
stream  of  the  Kamanistaquoia." 

May  31. — A  succession  of  difficult  portages. 

June  1. — Another  vexatious  day's  journey. 

June  2. — Arrived  at  Fort  Francis,  on  Rainy  lake.  Until  reaching  the  lake 
fonuer  difficulties  of  navigation  continued.  'J'he  river  Avhich  empties  Rainy  lake 
into  the  Lake  of  the  Woods  is  described  as  "decidedly  the  finest  stream  on  the 
whole  route,  in  move  than  one  respect.  From  Fort  Francis  downwards,  a  stretch 
of  nearly  a  hundred  miles,  it  is  not  interrupted  by  a  single  impediment ;  while 
yet  the  current  is  not  strong  enough  materially  to  retard  an  ascending  traveller. 
Nor  are  the  banks,"  he  adds,  "less  favorable  to  agriculture  than  the  waters 
th(!mselves  to  navigation,  resembling,  in  some  measure,  those  of  the  Thames, 
mmv  Richmond.  From  the  very  brink  of  the  river  there  rises  a  gentle  slope  of 
green  sward,  crowned  in  many  places  with  a  plentiful  growth  of  birch,  poplar, 
beech,  elm,  and  oak."  And  in  this  connexion,  also,  the  tourist  indulges  in  a 
vision  of  "crowded  steamboats  and  populous  towns." 

June  3. — Lake  of  the  Woods  was  reached  and  nearly  traversed.  Its  shores 
are  represented  as  more  rocky  than  those  of  Rainy  lake,  yet  as  very  fertile, 
producing  wild  rice  in  abundance,  and  bringing  maize  to  perfection.  The  lake 
is  studded  with  wooded  islands,  Avhich,  on  account  of  their  exemption  from 
natural  frosts,  are  especially  adapted  to  cultivation. 


^ 


AND   NORTHWEST    IIRITLSH    AMERICA. 


55 


June  4-7. — After  two  and  )•  half  dnyrt' jonrnoy  <mi  the  river  Wiiiniix'jif,  (which 
coiuKictrt  the  lake  of  that  nau.i  with  the  Lake  of  the  Woodt*,  and  is  deweribed 
as  a  "  maf^nificent  stream,"  but  constantly  broken  into  falls  and  rapids,)  the 
party  reached  Fort  Alexander,  and  crossed  to  the  mouth  of  lied  river,  thence 
ascending  twentv-three  miles  to  Vort  Garry,  in  longitude  97^,  and  a  little  beyond 
latitude  50^,  and  situated  at  the  forks  of  the  Red  and  Assiniboin  rivers. 

Here  Crovernor  Simpson  remained  during  the  month  of  June.  He  confirms 
other  accounts  of  the  Selkirk  settlement — that  the  soil  is  a  black  mould  of  great 
depth  and  fertility,  sometimes  producing  forty  returns  of  wheat,  and  never  less 
than  fifteen  to  twenty-five  bushels  an  acre ;  that  the  wheat  produced  is  plump 
and  heavy ;  that  there  are  also  raised  large  quantities  of  other  grains,  besides 
beef,  mutton,  pork,  cheese,  and  wool  in  abundance ;  that  within  the  settlements 
cattle  find  food  for  themselves  about  seven  months,  but  during  the  remainder  of 
the  year  they  are  maintained  on  the  straw  of  the  farms,  and  on  hay  cut  on  the 
boundless  commons  behind ;  that  the  occasional  inundations  to  which  the  allu- 
vial plain  of  the  lied  River  is  subject  ren«.'W  the  fertility  of  the  fields  in  an  ex- 
traordinary degree ;  but  that  these  inundations  and  the  intense  cold  winter  (thi; 
thermometer  for  weeks  together,  at  some  hour  in  the  twenty-four,  marking  30° 
below  zero,  and  the  mercury  often  freezing)  are  the  material  disadvantages  of 
the  country. 

Early  in  July  Governor  Simpson  resumed  his  journey  to  the  Pacific,  taking 
a  northwestwardly  direction  to  Edmonton  House,  near  latitude  54°,  and  longi- 
tude 113°,  four  degrees  of  latitude  north,  and  six  degrees  of  longitude  west  of 
Fort  GaiTy.  Whatever  notices  of  the  intervening  country  may  relate  to  its 
natural  capacity  for  settlement  will  be  abstracted  under  dates  as  nearly  succes- 
sive as  the  narrative  indicates. 

July  3. — The  scenery  of  the  first  day's  journey  is  described  as  generally  a 
dead  level :  "On  the  east,  north,  and  south,  there  Avas  not  a  mound  or  a  tree  to 
\ary  the  vast  expanse  of  green  sward,  while  to  the  west  were  the  gleaming 
bays  of  the  Assiniboin,  separated  from  each  other  by  wooded  points  of  con- 
siderable depth." 

July  4. — Forded  the  Champignan.  Country  same,  except  that  the  pnth  oc- 
casionally ran  through  a  clump  of  trees.  The  beds  of  many  shallow  lakes  were 
crossed,  which  contain  water  only  during  the  spring,  and  ar  hixuriant  grass 
as  high  as  a  horseman's  knees,  while  the  surface  of  the  haiu  -iKuiid  was  beau- 
tifully diversified  with  a  variety  of  flowers,  such  as  the  rose,  the  hyaciutli,  and 
the  tiger  lily.  The  rankuess  of  vegetation  is  likened  to  that  in  the  torrid  zone; 
but  it  was  observed,  during  the  afternoon  ride,  that  the  character  of  the  comitry 
completely  changed.  The  plain  gave  place  to  a  rolling  succession  of  .-^andy 
hills,  generally  covered  with  brush,  but  with  spots  which  looked  like  artificial 
shrubberies.  "  This  ridge,"  it  it  added,  "  is  evidently  one  of  nature's  steps 
from  a  lower  to  a  higher  level,  and  may  be  traced  from  Turtle  mountain,  in  the 
neighborhood  of  the  inteniational  boundary,  to  the  branch  of  Swan  river,  in 
latitude  52°  30',  and  even  round  to  the  Basqua  Hill,  on  the  waters  of  the  lower 
Saskatchewan.  It  appears  to  have  been  in  former  days  the  shore  of  an  inland 
sea,  comprising,  in  one  indistinguishable  mass,  Lakes  Winnipeg,  Manitoba,  and 
Winnipegos,  with  many  of  their  feeders.  This  view  may,  perhaps,  derive  con- 
firmation from  the  fact  that  the  largest  of  the  primeval  sheet  of  waters,  namely. 
Lake  Winnipeg,  still  continues  to  retire  from  its  western  side,  and  to  encroach 
on  its  eastern  bank." 

At  their  evening  camp  the  travellers  deemed  themselves  fortunate  in  the 
vicinity  of  a  running  stream,  instead  of  being  doomed  to  swallow  the  seething 
dregs  of  half-dried  lakes. 

July  5. — On  resuming  their  journey  the  party  passed  among  tolerably  M'ell- 
Avooded  hills,  while  on  either  side  of  them  there  lay  a  constant  succession  of 
small  lakes,  some  of  them  salt,  which  abounded  in  wild  fowl.     In  the  neighbor- 


56 


RELATIONS  BETWEEN   THE   UNITED    STATES 


hood  of  those  waters  the  pnpturc  was  rich  and  hixuriant ;  and  they  traversed 
two  fields  (for  m  they  are  termed  in  the  narrative)  of  tlie  rose  and  the  sweet- 
brier,  while  each  loaded  the  air  with  its  own  peculiar  perfume.  The  evening 
encampment  was  in  the  '•  pretty  valley  of  the  Rapid  river." 

tlufi/  6. — Hitherto  Governor  Simpson  had  been  travelling  at  the  daily  speed 
of  horses,  but  his  subsequent  progress  was  retarded  by  that  of  loaded  carts, 
M'hich  had  preceded  his  own  departure  from  Fort  Garry.  He  mentions,  during 
the  day's  route,  numerous  small  lakes,  a  large  salt  lake,  and  a  shoal  lake,  lying 
in  a  hilly  and  well-wooded  district. 

July  7. — Reached,  after  an  hour's  ride  over  hiily  and  rugged  ground,  what  is 
called  George  Sinclair's  encampment,  on  Bird-tail  creek,  a  rapidly  flowing 
tributary  of  the  Assiniboin,  and  beyond  this  stream  was  an  undulating  prairie 
of  vast  extent,  with  the  Assiniboin  in  the  distance.  On  a  neighboring  lieight 
three  bands  of  antelopes  were  seen — the  first  animals  observed  since  leaving 
Red  River  settlement,  although  the  prairies  immediately  before  the  party,  the 
writer  remarks,  are  well  known  as  the  home  of  many  varieties  of  the  deer. 

July  8. — Reached  Fort  Ellice,  (post  of  the  Hudson  Bay  Company,)  sending 
carts  and  baggage  across  the  Assiniboin  in  a  bateau  belonging  to  the  post, 
swimming  the  horses  over,  and  the  travellers  making  their  own  passage  in  the 
barge's  last  trip.  Those  facts  indicate  the  Assiniboin  to  be  a  considerable 
stream,  perhaps  navigable  by  steamers  quite  near  its  western  source. 

July  9. — Passed  through  extensive  prairies  studded  with  clumps  of  trees.  It 
is  mentioned  that,  during  the  day,  considerable  inconvenience  with  regard  to 
provisions  was  suffered  from  the  heat  of  the  weather.  The  afternoon's  march 
was  through  a  swampy  country  beset  with  underwood,  the  rout  constantly  wind- 
ing, like  a  river,  rounci  the  extremities  of  lakes  and  marshes. 

July  10. — Prairie  harder  and  more  open;  vegetation  withering  from  drought; 
antelopes  bounding  over  the  hillocks.  A  cold  rain  fell  all  the  afternoon  and 
night.  The  party  "  spent  a  miserable  night  under  the  pouring  torrent,  while 
wolves  and  foxes  rendered  the  position  more  hideous  by  their  howling." 

July  11. — Quite  a  landmark  of  the  journey  Avas  attained,  the  Butte  aux 
Chiens,  Dog  Knoll,  towering  with  a  height  of  about  four  hundred  feet  over  a 
boundless  prairie  as  level  and  as  smooth  as  a  pond.  This  vast  plain,  which  the 
writer  supposes  to  have  once  been  the  bed  of  a  lake,  with  an  islet  in  its  centre, 
is  covered  with  an  alluvial  soil  of  great  fertility,  is  strewed  with  water-worn 
stones,  and  presents  vaiious  aqueous  deposits.  On  leaving,  the  day's  route  tra- 
versed about  thirty-five  miles  of  prairie  among  several  large  and  beautiful  lakes. 
At  this  time  the  ordinary  rate  of  travelling  was  four  or  five  miles  an  hour  for 
ten,  twelve,  or  fourteen  hours  a  day. 

July  12. — Followed,  for  about  twenty  miles,  the  shores  of  Lac  Sale,  or  Salt 
Lake,  having  waters  as  briny  as  the  Atlantic.  A  curious  circumstance  is  noted 
in  respect  to  these  saline  lakes,  that  they  are  often  separatcfl  from  fresh  water 
only  by  a  narrow  belt  of  land. 

July  13. — Marched  till  10  o'clock  in  a  soaking  rain.  The  weather  improving 
in  the  afternoon,  the  route  for  a  long  distance  was  through  "  a  picturesque  coun- 
try, crossing  the  end  of  an  extensive  lake,  whose  gently  sloping  banks  of  green 
sward  were  crowned  with  thick  woods." 

July  14. — Under  this  date  an  extract  is  appended:  "In  this  part  of  the  coun- 
try we  saw  many  kinds  of  birds,  geese,  loons,  pelicans,  ducks,  cranes,  two  kinds 
of  snipe,  hawks,  owls,  and  gulls ;  but  they  were  all  so  remarkably  shy  that  we 
Avere  constrained  to  admire  them  at  a  distance.  In  the  afternoon  Ave  ti  versed 
a  beautiful  country  Avith  lofty  hills  and  long  valleys  full  of  sylvan  lakc-.s,  Avhile 
the  bright  green  of  the  surface,  as  far  as  the  eye  could  reach,  assumed  ii  foreign 
tinge  under  an  uninterrupted  profusion  of  roses  and  blue-bells.  On  the  summit 
of  one  of  these  hills  Ave  commanded  one  of  the  fcAv  extensive  prospects  we  had 
of  late  enjoyed.     One  range  of  heights  rose  behind  another,  each   becoming 


AND  NORTHWEST    BRITISH   .VMERICA 


57 


fainter  as  it  receded  from  the  eye,  till  the  furthest  was  blended,  in  almost  undis- 
tinguishable  confusion,  with  the  clouds,  while  the  softest  vales  spread  a  pano- 
rama of  hanging  copses  and  glittering  lakes  at  our  feet." 

The  travellers  had  now  reached  the  liow  river,  or  the  south  branch  of  the 
Saskatchewan,  "which,"  says  Simpson,  "takes  its  rise  in  the  Rocky  mountains, 
near  the  international  frontier,  and  is  of  considerable  size,  without  any  physical 
impediment  of  any  moment.  *  *  *  At  the  crossing  place  the  Bow  river  is 
about  a  third  of  a  mile  in  width,  with  a  strong  current,  and,  some  twenty  miles 
below,  falls  into  the  main  Saskatchewan,  whence  the  united  streams  flow  toward 
Lake  Winnipeg,  forming  at  their  mouth  the  Grand  Rapids  of  about  three  miles 
in  length." 

A  smart  ride  of  four  or  five  hours  from  the  Bow  river,  through  a  country  very 
much  resembling  an  English  park,  brought  the  party  to  Fort  C'arleton,  on  the 
Saskatchewan;  latitude  53°,  longitude  about  108°.  Governor  Simpson  speaks 
of  large  gardens  and  fields  in  the  vicinity  of  the  fort,  producing  an  abundance 
of  potatoes  and  other  vegetables,  but  adds  that  wheat  is  often  destroyed  by  the 
frosts  of  autumn. 

"The  SaskatchcAvan,"  he  remarks,  "is  here  upward  of  a  quarter  of  a  mile 
wide,  presenting,  as  its  name  implies,  a  swift  current.  It  is  navigable  for  boats 
from  Rocky  Mountain  House,  in  longitude  116°,  to  Lake  Winnipeg,  upAvards  of 
seven  Imndred  miles  in  a  direct  line,  but  by  the  actual  course  of  the  stream 
nearly  double  that  distance.  Though  above  PMmonton  the  river  is  much 
obstructed  by  rapids,  yet  from  that  fort  to  Lake  Winnipeg  it  is  descended,  with- 
out a  portage,  alike  by  boats  and  canoes,  while  even  on  the  upward  voyage  the 
only  break  in  the  navigation  is  the  Grand  Rapids,  already  mentioned." 

The  party  remained  several  days  at  Fort  Carleton.  Frequent  i-efta-ence  is 
made  in  the  narrative  to  parties  of  Indians,  the  whole  number  in  the  Saskatche- 
wan district  being  estimated  at  16,730,  and  also  a  party  of  emigrants  from  the 
Red  River  settlement  to  the  Pacific.  In  the  latter  connexion  occurs  the  follow- 
ing touching  incident,  itself  a  high  tribute  to  the  attractiveness  of  the  unex- 
plored Saskatchewan: 

"Among  the  emigrants  was  one  poor  woman,  upwards  of  seventy-five  years  of 
age,  who  was  tottering  after  her  son  to  his  new  home.  This  venerable  wan- 
derer was  a  native  of  the  Saskatchewan,  of  which,  in  fact,  she  bore  the  name; 
she  had  been  absent  from  this  the  land  of  her  birth  for  eighteen  years,  and,  on 
catching  the  first  glimpse  of  the  river  from  the  hill  near  Carleton,  she  burst, 
under  the  influence  of  old  recollections,  into  a  violent  flood  of  tears.  While  the 
party  remained  at  the  fort  she  scarcely  ever  left  the  banks  of  the  stream,  appear- 
ing to  regard  it  with  as  much  veneration  as  the  Hindoo  regards  the  Ganges." 

There  remained  a  week's  journey  to  Edmonton,  and  among  its  incidents  were 
the  following:  The  route  on  the  first  day  "lay  over  a  hilly  countrv  so  pictur- 
esque in  its  character  that  almost  every  commanding  portion  presentb'the  ele- 
ments of  an  interesting  panorama;"  buflalo  soon  became  veiy  numerous,  and, 
in  addition,  the  party  frequently  met  wolves,  badgers,  foxes,  beavers,  and  ante- 
lopes; raspberries,  a  sort  of  cross  between  the  cranberry  and  black  currant, 
called  the  serviceberry,  and  the  eyeberry,  very  nearly  resembling  the  straw- 
berry in  taste  and  appearance,  were  found  in  abundance.  A  sharp  frost  before 
sunrise,  followed  by  a  heavy  dew,  occun-ed  on  the  22d  of  July.  Near  Edmon- 
ton they  crossed  a  vast  plain,  which  was  covered  with  a  luxuriant  crop  of  the 
vetch,  or  wild  pea,  almost  as  nutritious  a  food  for  cattle  and  horses  as  oats ; 
while  the  vicinity  of  the  fort  is  represented  as  rich  in  mineral  production.^,  a 
seam  of  coal,  ten  feet  deep,  having  been  traced  for  a  considerable  distance  along 
both  sides  of  the  river. 

We  will  not  follow  the  governor  of  the  Hudson  Bay  Company  through  the 
gorges  of  the  Rocky  mountains,  or  his  subsequent  adventures  on  the  Pacific 
coast. 


i' 


58 


RELATIONS    IJETWEEN   THE   UNITED    STATES 


The  area  conipriscfl  Avitliiii  the  rivorn  convorgiiig  to  Lnko  Winnipopf  ip  esti- 
mated to  contain  400,000  Hqnan;  miien.  Familiar  as  the  American  public  is  with 
the  prof^ret^rt  of  the  Mississippi  States,  I  am  inclined  to  review  the  baain  of  Lake 
Winnipeg  from  the  western  stand-point  of  its  capacity,  to  he  divided  and  occu- 
pied as  States  or  provinces,  each  having  an  average  area  of  /)0,000  square  miles. 
Starting,  therefore,  from  that  point  of  tlie  western  boundary  of  Minnesota,  which 
lias  become  the  head  of  steamboat  navigation  on  tiie  Red  river,  I  proceed,  in 
convenient  subdivisions,  to  describe  the  vast  district  enclosed  between  latitudes 
49°  and  55°,  and  extending  from  tlie  shores  of  Lake  Winnipeg  to  the  Rocky 
mountains. 

THE  AMKRICAN  VALLEY  OF  THE  RED  RIVER. 

Of  thie  district  Lac  Traverse  in  one  direction,  and  Ottertail  lake  in  a  lino 
nearer  north  from  Saint  Paul — either  point  not  more  than  two  hundred  miles 
distant — may  be  regarded  as  its  extreme  southern  limits ;  Pembina  and  the 
iniernational  frontier  the  northern,  while  the  longitude  of  Red  lake  on  the 
east,  and  of  Minnewakan  or  Spirit  lake  on  the  west  are  convenient  designations 
of  the  remaining  boundaries.  This  area  would  extend  from  about  latitude  46° 
to  49°,  and  from  longitude  95°.30  to  99°. 

Captain  Pope,  in  his  exploration  of  1849,  remarks  that  for  fifty  miles  in  all 
directions  around  Ottertail  lake  is  the  garden  of  the  northwest.  The  outlet  of 
the  lake,  constituting  the  source  of  the  Red  River  of  the  North,  has  been  very 
favorably  described,  by  Dr.  Owen,  of  the  United  States  geological  survey.  It 
presents  a  succession  of  lakes  and  rapids,  Avhile  at  other  points  rolling  prairies 
extend  from  its  banks,  crested  with  beautifully-dispersed  groves  of  timber.  It 
was  in  this  section  of  Minnesota  that  the  magnesian  limestone  containing  Silu- 
rian fossils,  identical  with  those  in  the  bluffs  of  the  Mississippi  below  St.  Paul, 
was  recognized  by  Dr.  Owen  in  situ — showing  that  the  primary  formation  which 
divides  Minnesota  from  northeast  to  southwest  is  succeeded  to  the  northwest  by 
the  ascending  series  of  sedimentary  rocks. 

There  is  ample  testimony  that  westward  from  Ottertail  lake  for  at  least  one 
hundred  miles,  and  northward  to  Red  lake,  if  not  beyond,  no  more  favorable 
distribution  of  beautiful  prairies  and  forests  can  be  imagined.  The  lakes  are 
numerous  but  small,  and  almost  invariably  skirted  with  timber,  the  sugar  maple 
largely  preponderating.  Seldom  is  the  traveller  out  of  sight  of  these  groves, 
while  the  soil  is  unsurpassed. 

From  Dr.  Owens 's  Geological  Report  it  appears  that  below  the  head  of  nav- 
igation the  western  bank  of  the  Red  river  is  a  vast  plain,  but  on  the  east,  where 
the  country  is  level,  timber  is  more  abundant  on  the  river  banks ;  the  soil  is 
congenial  to  the  ash,  which  attains  a  large  size.  Below  the  mouth  of  Red  Lake 
river  strong  chalybeate  springs  ooze  from  the  clay  banks ;  saline  springs  are  also 
found,  and  all  accounts  concur  that  hardly  an  acre  but  is  eminently  adapted  to 
the  cultivation  of  wheat.  This  great  staple,  with  the  aid  of  machiner}%  will 
hereafter  be  cultivated  more  advantageously  over  the  northwestern  areas  of  the 
continent  than  in  the  Mississippi  basin. 

ASSINIBOIA. 

This  is  the  official  designation  of  the  district  of  British  America  occupied  by 
the  Selkirk  settlements.  It  embraces  the  lower  or  northern  section  of  the  Red 
river  and  the  productive  valley  of  the  Assiniboia.  Here  is  a  civilized  and  in- 
teresting community  of  ten  thousand  souls,  with  schools,  churches,  a  magistracy, 
and  a  successful  agriculture. 

A  sketch  of  Selkirk  settlement  is  postponed  to  a  subsequent  division  of  this 
report. 


AND    NORTHWEST    nRITISH    AM.:RICA. 


59 


riMBKRLAND. 

North  of  the  Red  River  settlements  is  ii  region,  ahnost  ii  diseovery  of  recent 
explorers,  which  is  even  more  attractive  than  tiie  prairie  district  contiguous  to 
the  Red  and  Assiniboia  rivers.  Immediately  w(^>«t  of  Lake  Winnipeg  arc 
Lakes  Winnipegoos  and  Manitoba,  with  an  outl((t  flowing  into  Lake  Winnipeg, 
in  latitude  52°.  Tributary  to  Lake  Winnipegoos  are  the  Red  Deer  and  Swan 
rivers,  which  drain  a  country  of  rare  beauty  and  fertility.  A  traveller,  writing 
to  a  Canadian  newspaper,  describes  its  general  features  as  rich  prairies,  inter- 
spersed with  belts  of  heavy  oak  and  elm ;  while  the  itinerary  of  Sir  George 
Simpson  affords  a  most  ;!;lowing  picture  of  the  sources  of  Swan  river.  Under 
date  of  July  14  he  observes:  "In  thi.s  part  of  the  country  we  saw  many  sorts  of 
birds,  geese,  loons,  pelicans,  ducks,  cranes,  two  kinds  of  snipe,  hawks,  owls,  and 
gulls  ;  but  they  were  all  so  remarkably  shy  that  we  were  constrained  to  admire 
them  from  a  distance.  In  the  afternoon  we  traversed  a  beautiful  country  with 
lofty  hills  and  long  valleys  full  of  sylvan  lakes,  while  the  bright  green  of  the 
surface,  as  far  as  the  eye  could  reach,  assumed  a  foreign  tinge,  under  an  unin- 
terrupted profusion  of  roses  and  blue-bells.  On  the  summit  of  one  of  these 
hills  we  commanded  one  of  the  few  extensive  prospects  we  had  of  late  enjoyed. 
One  range  of  heights  rose  behind  another,  each  becoming  fainter  as  it  receded 
from  the  eye,  till  the  furthest  was  blended  in  almost  undistinguishable  confusion 
with  the  clouds,  while  the  softest  vales  spread  a  panorama  of  hanging  copses 
and  glittering  lakes  at  our  feet." 

As  Cumberland  House  is  situated  north  of  the  valley  of  Swan  river,  upon 
the  Saskatchewan,  its  name  has  been  chosen  to  de;^ignate  the  district  between 
longitude  100°  and  105°  and  from  latitude  52^  to  55°.  An  equal  area  im- 
mediately south,  and  between  the  parallels  of  49°  and  52°,  is  no  less  attractive 
and  fertile. 

SASKATCH  P:\VAN. 

There  remains,  from  longitude  105°  to  US',  and  from  latitude  49°  to  55°,  the 
respective  valleys  of  the  North  and  South  Saskatchewan — ample  in  area  and 
resources  for  four  States  of  the  extent  of  Ohio.  I  propose  to  consider  the  whole 
interval  westward  from  the  junction  of  the  two  rivers  to  the  Rocky  mountains 
without  subdivision,  as,  indeed,  it  is  presented  by  Colton's  map  of  North 
America. 

The  prairie  districts  adjacent  to  the  South  Saskatchewan  are  described  by 
the  Canadian  explorers  as  inferior  to  the  rich  alluvial  plains  of  the  Red  and 
Assiniboin  rivers ;  but  Sir  George  Simpson's  sketches  of  his  route  from  Fort 
Carleton  to  Fort  Edmonton  are  suggestive  of  a  superior  agricultural  region. 

An  authority  in  regard  to  the  more  western  portions  of  the  Saskatchewan  is 
Father  De  Sraet,  the  devoted  Jesuit  missionary  to  the  Indians  of  Oregon,  men- 
tioned by  Governor  Stevens,  in  a  recent  address  before  the  New  York  Geo- 
graphical Society,  as  "  a  man  whose  name  is  a  tower  of  strength  and  faith," 
possessing  high  scientilic  attainments  and  great  practical  knowledge  of  the 
country.  His  "Oregon  Missions"  is  a  publication  of  much  interest,  consisting 
of  letters  to  his  superiors ;  and  a  portion  of  this  volume  narrates  his  explorations 
and  adventures  in  the  Saskatchewan  valleys  of  the  Rocky  mountains.  In  Sep- 
tember, 1854,  he  left  the  source  of  the  Columbia  river  in  latitude  50",  and 
crossed  the  Rocky  mountains,  descending  their  eastern  slope  in  latitude  51°. 
He  entered,  on  the  18th  of  September,  "a  rich  valley,  agreeably  diversified  with 
meadows,  forests,  and  lakes,  the  latter  abounding  in  salmon  trout."  This  was 
a  mountain  valley,  however,  and  it  was  not  till  three  days  afterwards  that  he 
reached  Bow  river,  on  the  south  of  the  Saskatchewan.  Thence  he  continued 
northward,  noticing  sulphurous  fountains  and  coal  on  the  Red  Deer,  a  branch 


60 


RELATIONS    IJETWEEN    THE    UNITED    STATES 


1 


of  the  IJow  river.  DoHcoiuling  tlio  valley  of  the  Red  Deer,  which  \h  also 
described  in  very  glowing  terinn,  at  length  he  emerged  upon  what  lie  defcrihcs 
as  "  th(!  vaKt  plain — the  ocean  of  prairies." 

On  the  evening  of  the  same  day  the  missionary  reached  and  was  hospitably 
received  at  the  Rocky  Mountain  House,  latitude  53°,  and  longitude  ilCt°,  and 
on  the  3l8t  October  started  for  another  journey  on  the  plains ;  but  after  two 
weeks'  absence  was  compelled  to  seek  refuge  from  the  approach  of  winter  (now 
the  middle  of  November)  at  Edmonton  House,  on  the  upper  Saskatchewan. 
From  this  shelter  he  tlius  writes  in  general  terms : 

"  The  entire  region  in  the  vicinity  of  the  eastern  chain  of  the  Rocky  mount- 
ains, serving  as  their  base  for  thirty  or  sixty  miles,  is  extremely  fertile,  abound- 
ing in  forests,  plains,  prairies,  lakes,  streams,  and  mineral  springs.  The  rivers 
and  streams  are  innumerable,  and  on  every  side  offer  situations  favorable  for  the 
constniction  of  mills.  The  northern  and  southern  branches  of  the  Saskatche- 
wan water  the  district  I  have  traversed  for  a  distance  of  about  three  hundred 
miles.  Forests  of  pine,  cypress,  thorn,  poplar,  and  aspen  trees,  as  well  as 
others  of  different  khids,  occupy  a  large  portion  of  it,  covering  the  declivities  of 
the  mountains  and  banks  of  the  rivers. 

"  These  originally  take  their  rise  in  the  highest  chains,  whence  they  issue  in 
every  direction  like  so  many  veins.  The  beds  and  sides  of  these  rivers  are 
pebbly,  and  their  course  rapid,  but  as  they  recede  from  the  mountains  they 
widen,  and  the  currents  lose  something  of  their  impetuosity.  Their  waters  are 
usually  very  clear.  The  country  would  be  capable  of  supporting  a  large  popu- 
lation, and  the  soil  is  favorable  for  the  production  of  barley,  com,  potatoes,  and 
beans,  which  grow  here  as  well  as  in  the  more  southern  countries. 

"  Are  these  vast  and  innumerable  fields  of  hay  forever  destined  to  be  con- 
sumed by  fire,  or  perish  in  the  autumnal  snows  1  How  long  shall  these  superb 
forests  be  the  haunts  of  wild  beasts  ?  And  these  inexhaustible  quarries — these 
abundant  mines  of  coal,  lead,  sulphur,  iron,  copper,  and  saltpetre — can  it  be 
that  they  are  doomed  to  remain  forever  inactive  f  Not  so.  The  day  will  come 
when  some  laboring  hand  will  give  them  value ;  a  strong,  active,  and  enter- 
prising people  are  destined  to  fill  this  spacious  void.  The  wild  beasts  will,  ere 
long,  give  place  to  our  domestic  animals ;  flocks  and  herds  will  graze  in  the 
beautiful  meadows  that  border  the  numberless  mountains,  hills,  valleys,  and 
plains  of  this  extensive  region." 

Life  at  Edmonton  during  the  winter  season  is  thus  sketched  : 

"The  number  of  servants,  including  children,  is  about  eighty.  Besides  a 
large  garden,  a  field  of  potatoes  and  wheat  belonging  to  the  establishment,  the 
lakes,  forests,  and  plains  of  the  neighborhood  furnish  provisions  in  abundance. 
On  my  arrival  at  the  fort  the  ice-house  contained  thirty  thousand  white  fish, 
each  weighing  four  pounds,  and  five  hundred  buffaloes — the  ordinary  amount 
of  the  winter  provisions.  Such  is  the  quantity  of  aqixatic  birds  in  the  season, 
that  sportsmen  often  send  to  the  fort  carts  full  of  fowls.  Eggs  are  picked  up 
by  thousands  in  the  straw  and  weeds  of  the  marshes.  I  visited  Lake  St.  Anne, 
a  missionary  station  fifty  miles  northwest  from  Edmonton.  The  surface  of  this 
region  is  flat  for  the  most  part,  undulating  in  some  places,  diversified  with 
forest,^  and  meadows,  and  lakes  teeming  with  fish.  In  Lake  St.  Anne  alone 
were  caught,  last  autumn,  more  than  seventy  thousand  white  fish,  the  most 
delicious  of  the  kind.    They  are  taken  with  a  line  at  every  season  of  the  year. 

"  Notwithstanding  the  rigor  and  duration  of  the  winter  in  this  northern 
region,  the  earth,  in  general,  appears  fertile.  Vegetation  is  so  formed  in  the 
spring  and  summer  that  potatoes,  wheat,  and  barley,  together  with  other  vege- 
tables of  Canada,  come  to  maturity." 

On  the  12th  of  March  Father  l)e  Sraet  started  on  his  return  trip,  proceeding 
with  sledges  drawn  by  dogs  over  the  snow  to  Fort  Jasper,  situated  northwest 


AND   NOKTHWEST   BRITISH   AMERICA. 


61 


from  Edmonton,  on  the  Atlmh/iHca  rivor,  Imit'  n  dcgrt'L'  north  of  Intitutle  54*^. 
llcni  occurred  the  foUowiu}?  huntinf?  adventure  : 

"  Provisions  becomiu}?  Hcarc*'  at  the  fort  at  the  moment  when  we  had  with  us 
u  conrtiderabh)  number  of  Iroqnoirt  from  the  Hurroundin<?  country,  who  were 
roHolved  to  remain  until  my  departure,  in  order  to  ansint  at  the  iiiHtnu'tions,  wo 
should  have  found  ourselveH  in  an  emliarrasHin}^  situation  had  not  Mr.  Frazer 
come  to  our  relief  by  proposing  that  we  should  leave  the  fort  and  accompany 
himself  and  family  to  the  Lake  of  Islands,  where  we  could  subsist  partly  on 
iish.  As  the  distance  Avas  not  great,  we  accepted  the  invitation  and  set  out,  to 
the  number  of  fifty-four  persons  and  twenty  dogs ;  1  count  the  latter  because 
Ave  were  as  much  obliged  to  provide  for  them  as  for  ourselves.  A  little  note  of 
the  game  killed  by  our  hunters,  during  the  twenty-six  days  of  our  al)ode  at  this 
place,  will  afford  you  some  interest ;  at  least,  it  will  make  you  acquainted  with 
the  animals  of  the  country,  and  prove  that  the  mountaineers  of  the  Athabasca 
are  blessed  with  good  appetites.  Animals  killed  :  twelve  moose  deer,  two  rein- 
deer, thirty  large  mountain  sheep,  or  big-horn,  two  porcupines,  two  hundred  and 
ten  harcfl,  one  beaver,  ten  muskrats,  twenty-four  bustards,  one  hundretl  and 
fifteen  ducks,  twenty-one  pheasants,  oni;  snipe,  one  eagle,  one  owl ;  add  to  this 
from  thirty  to  fifty-live  white  fish  and  twenty  trout  every  day." 


ATHABASCA. 

The  valleys  of  the  Peace  and  Athabasca  rivers,  eastward  of  the  Rocky  mount- 
ains, from  latitude  55°,  share  the  Pacific  climate  in  a  remarkable  degree.  The 
Rocky  mountains  arc  greatly  reduced  in  breadth  and  mean  elevation,  and  through 
the  numerous  passes  between  their  lofty  peaks  the  winds  of  the  Pacific  reach 
the  district  in  question.  Hence  it  is  that  Sir  Alexander  McKenzie,  under  the 
date  of  May  10,  mentions  the  exuberant  verdure  of  the  whole  country — trees 
about  to  blossom,  and  buffalo  attended  by  their  young.  During  the  late  par- 
liamentary investigation  similar  statements  were  elicited.  Dr.  Richard  King, 
who  accompanied  an  expedition  in  search  of  Sir  John  Ross  as  surgeon  and 
naturalist,  was  asked  what  portion  of  the  country  visited  by  him  was  valuable 
for  the  purpose  of  settlement.  In  reply,  he  described,  "  as  a  very  fertile  vulley," 
a  "  square  piece  of  country,"  bounded  on  the  south  by  Cumberland  House,  and 
by  the  Athabasca  lake  on  the  north.    His  words  are  as  follows  : 

"  The  sources  of  the  Athabasca  and  the  sources  of  the  Saskatchewan  include 
an  enormous  area  of  country.  It  is,  in  fact,  a  vast  piece  of  land  surrounded  by 
water.  When  I  heard  Dr.  Livingstone's  description  of  the  country  which-,  he 
found  in  the  interior  of  Africa,  within  the  equator,  it  appeared  to  me  to  be  pre- 
cisely the  kind  of  country  which  I  am  now  describing.  *  •  *  It  is  a  rich 
soil,  interspersed  with  Avell-wooded  country,  there  being  growth  of  every  kind, 
and  the  whole  vegetable  kingdom  alive." 

When  asked  concerning  mineral  productions,  his  reply  was  :  "  I  do  not  know 
of  any  other  mineral  except  limestone ;  limestone  is  apparent  in  all  directions. 
*  *  The  birch,  the  beech,  and  the  maple  are  in  abundance,  and  there  is 
every  sort  of  fruit."  When  questioned  further  as  to  the  growth  of  trees.  Dr. 
King  replied  by  a  comparison  with  "  the  magnificent  trees  around  Kensington 
park,  in  London."  He  described  a  farm  near  Cumberland  House  under  very 
successful  cultivation — ^luxuriant  wheat,  potatoes,  barley,  and  domestic  animals. 

A  suitable  supplement  to  these  statements  is  found  in  the  impressive  language 
of  a  writer  in  the  Knickerbocker  Magazine  for  October,  1858  : 

"  Here  is  the  great  fact  of  the  northwestern  areas  of  this  continent.  An  area 
not  inferior  in  size  to  the  whole  United  States  east  of  the  Mississippi,  which  is 
perfectly  adapted  to  the  fullest  occupation  by  cultivated  nations,  yet  is  almost 
wholly  unoccupied,  lies  west  of  the  98ih  meridian,  and  above  the  43d  parallel — 
that  is,  north  of  the  latitude  of  Milwaukie  and  west  of  the  longitude  of  Red 


62 


RELATIONH    IJETWEKN   THK    UNITED   STATES 


River,  Fort  Kcariioy,  and  CorpUH  ("lirifti;  or,  to  stnto  tin;  tact  in  an<»tli(r  way, 
caKt  of  the  Kocky  niountainri  and  went  of  the  98th  meridian,  and  between  the 
•l.'Jd  and  OUth  parallels,  there  irt  a  prodnctive,  cnltivable  area  of  .'»0(),()00  H(|uare 
Hiih'H.  Went  of  the  Rocky  monntainn,  and  between  th«'  mmv.  parallels,  there 
it*  an  area  of  300,000  Hquare  niih>H. 

It  in  a  {{reat  inintako  to  nnpporte  that  th(;  teinperatnre  of  the  AUantic  coant  irt 
carried  Htraiglit  across  the  continc^nt  to  th(  Pacific.  'I'he  isothermals  deflect 
{greatly  to  the  north,  and  the  teniiioratures  of  the  nctrtheru  Pacific  are  j)aralh'h'd 
in  the  hi{?h  temperatures  in  high  latitudes  of  western  and  central  Europe.  The 
latitud<'S  whicli  enclose  the  plateaus  »>f  the  Missouri  and  Saskatchewan  in 
Europe  enclose  the  rich  central  j)ldins  of  the  continent.  The  great  grain-grow- 
ing districts  of  Russia  lie  between  the  45th  and  60th  parallels  ;  that  is,  north  of 
the  latitudes  of  St.  Paul,  Minnesota,  or  Eastport,  Maine.  Indeed,  the  tempera- 
ture in  sonic  instances  is  higher  for  the  same  latitudes  here  than  in  central 
Europe.  The  isothermal  of  70°  for  tln5  summer,  which  on  our  plateau  ranges 
from  along  latitude  50°  to  52°,  in  Europe  skirts  through  Vienna  and  ( )dessu 
in  about  parallel  46°.  The  isothermal  of  55°  for  the  year  runs  along  the  coast  of 
British  Columbia,  and  does  not  go  far  from  New  York,  London,  and  Sebastopol. 
Furthermore,  dry  areas  an;  not  fotind  above  47°,  and  there  are  no  barren  tracts 
of  conse({uence  north  of  the  Bad  Lands  and  the  Coteau  of  the  Missouri.  The 
land  grows  grain  finely,  and  is  well  wooded.  All  the  grains  of  the  temperate 
districts  are  here  produced  abundantly,  and  Indian  corn  may  be  grown  as  high 
as  the  Saskatchewan. 

"  The  buffalo  winter  as  safely  on  the  upper  Athabasca  as  in  the  latitude  of 
St.  Paul,  and  the  spring  opens  at  nearly  the  same  time  along  the  immense  line 
of  plains  from  St.  Paul  to  Mackenzie's  river.  To  these  facts,  for  which  there  is 
the  authority  of  Blodgett's  Treatise  on  the  Climatology  of  the  United  States, 
may  be  added  this,  that  to  the  region  bordering  the  northern  Pacific  the  finest 
maritime  positions  belong  throughout  its  entire  extent,  and  no  part  of  the  west 
of  Europe  exceeds  it  in  the  advantages  of  equable  climate,  fertile  soil,  and  com- 
mercial accessibility  of  coast.  We  have  the  same  excellent  authority  for  the 
st4itement  that  in  every  condition  forming  the  basis  of  national  wealth  the  con- 
tinental mass  lying  westward  and  northward  from  Lake  Superior  is  far  more 
valuable  than  the  interior  in  lower  latitudes,  of  which  Salt  Lake  and  upper  New 
Mexico  are  the  prominent  known  districts.  In  short,  its  commercial  and  indus- 
trial capacity  is  gigantic.  Its  occupation  was  coeval  with  the  Spanish  occupation 
of  New  Mexico  and  California.  The  Hudson  Bay  Company  has  preserved 
it  an  utter  wilderness  for  many  long  years.  The  Frazer  river  discoveries  and 
emigration  are  facts  which  the  company  cannot  crush.  Itself  must  go  to  the 
wall,  and  the  population  of  the  great  northwestern  area  begins." 

I  add  a  briefer  synopsis  of  the  corresponding  districts  west  of  the  Rocky 
mountains,  mostly  compiled  from  the  results  of  the  parliamentary  inquiry  into 
the  affairs  of  the  Hudson  Bay  Company. 


VANCOUVER'S   ISLAND. 

This  island  is  fertile,  avcU  timbered,  diversified  by  intersecting  mountain 
ranges,  and  small  prairies,  with  extensive  coal  fields,  compared  to  the  West 
Riding  of  Yorkshire  coal,  and  fortunate  in  its  harbors.  Esquimaux  harbor,  on 
which  Victoria  is  situated,  is  equal  to  San  Francisco.  The  salmon  and  other 
fisheries  are  excellent,  but  this  advantage  is  shared  by  every  stream  and  inlet 
of  the  adjacent  coast.  As  to  the  climate,  the  winter  is  stormy,  with  heavy 
rains  in  November  and  December ;  frosts  occur  in  January,  but  seldom  inter- 
rupt agriculture ;  vegetation  starts  in  February,  progressing  rapidly  in  March, 
and  fostered  by  alternate  warm  showers  and  sunshine  in  April  and  May,  while 
intense  heat  and  drought  are  often  experienced  during  June,  July,  and  August. 


AND   NOKTIIWEHT    UKITIHH    AMKKICA. 


G3 


The  iHlaiul  linn  an  nrta  of  lU.aOO  Hquiin-  miles,  or  nn  larp-  nn  Vrmiont  and  N«'\v 
Hain|iHliirc. 

KRA/BR    AND    IIIOMI'SfdN    RIVKRM. 

Nnrtliwanl  of  Vancouver,  the  nioiuitninn  trend  h«»  iicir  the  I'aoiric  aw  to  oh- 
»tnu't  intori'ourHp  with  tlio  interior,  hut  "  iufide,"  to  uhc  the  Imifjiia^'e  of  a  wit- 
newH,  "it  iw  a  fine  open  country."  This  in  the  v<ili«y  of  Frazer  river.  Am- 
ccnding  thirt  river,  near  Fort  Lnngh-y,  •'  a  hirpo  tract  of  hiud  "  if<  represented  as 
"adapted  to  colonista ;  "  wliih'  of  'l^'honipnon  river  the  name  witness  wayrt  that 
"  it  irt  otui  of  tho  niopt  heautiful  countrierf  in  the  wf>rhl ;  "  cliniate  cnpalde  of  pro- 
ducinfif  all  the  cropn  .  I  En|^land,  and  nuich  milder  than  Canada.  'Die  Hcmrces 
of  Frazer  river,  in  latitude  rifty-Hvc  defrrees,  are  neparati-d  from  tlione  <»f  Peace 
river,  which  flowH  through  the  Rocky  mountainn  eautwardly  into  the  Athal)a«oa, 
hy  the  distance  of  only  '.ill  yards. 

.SOIIRCKS   OF   THK    COLUMIilA. 

I  BuppoHe  that  no  portion  of  the  continent  is  so  little  known,  and  still  f>o  at- 
tractive in  all  its  natural  features  and  resources,  as  the  district  which  is  watered 
by  the  Upper  Columhia  and  its  tributary,  the  McGillivray  or  Flathow  river. 
David  Thompson,  in  1807,  selected  tlu;  source  of  tlu;  Columhia  as  a  site  of  a 
trading  post  with  Kootanais  or  Flathow  Indians.  Since;  that  date  these  Indians 
have  made  sensible  progress  to  civilization  under  the  iuHuence  of  the  Oregon 
missions,  as  also  have  other  more  southern  tribes  on  the;  western  sloja;  of  the 
Rocky  mountains.  Indeed,  the  relations  of  their  missionary  bishop.  Father  I)e 
Hmet,  constitute  a  most  glowing  sketch  of  the  oval  district  between  Flathow 
river  and  the  Upper  Columbia,  and  which  must  have  an  extent  of  ::iO,000  s(|uare 
miles. 

I  select  some  passages  of  descriptictn  by  Dc  Smet,  after  passing  north  of  the 
bonndary  in  latitude  forty -nine  (h'grees  ; 

"  Advancing  toward  the  territory  of  the  Kootanais,  we  were  enchanted  with 
the  beautiful  and  diversified  scenery.  *  ♦  *  An  extensive  plain  at  the  base 
of  the  Portage  mountain  (probably  near  the  western  extremity  of  th<;  Kootanais 
Pass)  presents  every  advantage  for  the  formation  of  a  city.  The  mountains 
surrounding  this  agreeable  site  are  majestic  and  picturesque.  They  forcibly 
recalled  to  my  memory  the  Mapaclio  mountains  tliat  encompass  the  beautiful 
capital  of  Chili,  (Santiago.)  *  •  *  The  quarries  and  forests  are  inexhaust- 
ible, and,  having  remarked  large  pieces  of  coal  along  the  river,  I  am  convinced 
that  this  fossil  could  be  abundantly  procured.  Great  quantities  (tf  lead  are 
found  on  the  surface  of  the  earth,  and,  from  the  appearance  of  its  superior 
quality,  we  are  led  to  believe  that  there  may  be  some  mixture  of  silver.  *  ♦  • 
After  a  few  days'  journey  we  arrived  at  the  Prairie  du  Tabac,  the  usual  abode 
of  the  Kootanais.  Their  camp  is  situated  in  an  immense  and  delightful  valley, 
bounded  by  two  eminences,  which,  from  their  gentle  and  regular  declivity,  ap- 
pear to  have  originally  bounded  an  extensive  lake.  *  *  *  Thence  I 
journeyed  on  towards  the  sources  of  the  Columbia.  The  country  we  traversed 
was  highly  picturesque,  and  agreeably  diversified  by  beautiful  prairies,  smiling 
valleys  and  lakes,  surrounded  by  heavy  and  solemn  pines,  gracefully  waving 
their  flexible  branches.  We  also  crossed  dark  alpine  forests,  where  the  sound 
of  the  axe  lias  never  resounded.  *  *  *  On  the  4th  of  September  I  found 
myself  at  the  source  of  the  Columbia. 

"  When  emigration,  accompanied  by  industry,  the  arts,  and  sciences,  shall 
have  penetrated  the  numberless  valleys  of  the  Rocky  mountains,  the  source  of 
the  Columbia  will  prove  a  very  important  point.  The  climate  is  delightful ; 
the  extremes  of  heat  and  cold  are  seldom  known.  The  snow  disappears  as  fast 
as  it  falls ;  the  laborious  hand  that  would  till  these  valleys  would  be  repaid  a 
hundred-fold.     Innumerable  herds  could  graze  throughout  the  year  in  these 


64 


RKLAT10N8    UETWEEN    THE    UNITED   8TATE8 


fin>iulow«,  Tvlicro  the  Hoiirccn  mu\  (^trcMm  iiurfiir«>  a  poriM'tunl  frorthtu-MH  niul 
ul)iiii<laiK't'.  'I'licHu  liilliK'krt  niid  drcliviticH  of  tli(>  niouittuiiirt  iirc  ^ctiiTnlly 
Htiul(l(>(l  with  hicxhaii^tihhr  ioroHti*,  in  which  th<>  Itirch  tree,  pin<-  of  (liftVroiit 
HiM'cit'H,  vvdnv  and  cyprcHH  nhoiind.  •  •  •  'l'||,,  advaiitaf^cri  imturc  hcm'iuh 
to  have  ht'Htr>w«'d  on  tht;  nourcti  of  the  (johuuhia  will  rctidcr  iti*  f^i-of^rnnhinil 
poHitioii  very  iin)ioi-taut  at  Honio  futiirn  day.  'IMio  ma^^ic  hand  of  civilizca  man 
would  tnuirtfonn  it  into  a  tcrn'Htrial  paradinc." 

It  irt  an  intiTCHtini;  coincidonco  that  Dt;  8mi>t  publinhcd  in  a  8t.  LouiH  paixT, 
in  1858,  a  nimilar  dcKcription  of  thiH  n>};ion,  addinji^  that  it  c<mld  bo  rcauhrd 
from  Halt  liako  City  along  the  wentfrn  \mmt  of  tlio  lloclcy  mountainn  with 
waj?onH,  and  that  l^righatn  Young  would  load  a  Mormon  cxoduH  to  th«  vicinity 
of  Portagi!  mountain.  'I'ho  fact  that  tho  Mornionfl  had  ostahlishod  a  flouriHiiing 
half-way  pont  on  tho  Salmon  river,  a  branch  of  the  Columbia,  gave  an  aspect  of 
probability  to  l)e  Smot'n  prediction ;  but,  ho  far,  eventu  have  not  developed 
Buch  a  movement  by  the  Monuon  hierarchy. 

TUB    ARCTIC    DI.STBICTS. 


Tlu!  diHtrict  of  Britiwh  America  weHt  of  the  lakew  which,  by  soil  and  climate, 
are  Huitable  for  agricultural  settlements,  I  estimate  as  follows  : 

HquarR  niilei. 

Vancouver's  island 10,200 

Frazer  and  Thompson  rivers G0,000 

Sources  of  Columbia 20,000 

Athabasca  district 50,000 

Saskatchewan,  Red  River,  Assiniboin,  &c 360,000 

506,200 


This  area  would  constitute  twelve  States  of  the  size  of  Ohio. 

All  of  British  America,  without  these  divisions,  is  surrendered  to  the  sterility 
of  an  Arctic  climate ;  but  the  absence  of  agriculture  may  be  compensated  by 
luinj'ral  resources.  This  will  appear  from  a  general  survey  of  the  geology  and 
mineral  features  over  the  whole  territory  fonnerly  occupied  by  the  Uudsou 
Bay  Company.* 

OEOLOOV,   MINERAL   WEALTH,  ETC. 

From  the  shore  of  Lake  Superior  to  the  eastern  bank  of  Lake  Winnipeg, 
the  geological  formation  is  that  of  the  crystaJine  rocks,  a  system  which  is  not 
generally  favorable  to  agriculture,  although  here  and  there  many  fertile  spots 
are  to  be  found.  This  comparatively  sterile  region  extends  northward  to  the 
Arctic  sea.  Lake  Athabasca,  and  Great  Slave  lake  being  situated  on  its  most 
westerly  limit.  To  the  westward  of  these  lakes  and  Lake  Winnipeg,  and  be- 
tween them  nearly  to  the  Rocky  mountains,  the  whole  territory  is  of  the  silurian 
and  devonian  formations,  both  eminently  favorable  to  agriculture,  the  former 
prevailing  throughout  the  fertile  peninsula  of  Upper  Canada.  At  its  base,  the 
Silurian  deposits  range  a  thousand  miles  from  east  to  west,  and  extend  about  five 
hundred  miles  to  the  northward,  where  the  devonian  commences  and  continues 
to  the  Arctic  sea.    It  is  this  part  of  the  territory  through  which  the  Saskatch- 


**  A  geological  map,  with  an  accompanying  memoir  by  Professor  Isbister,  of  London,  a 
native  of  Red  River  Bettlcment,  is  the  ttuthority  for  the  statements  in  regard  to  the  geol- 
ogy and  mineral  wealth  of  Northwest  British  America 


AM>   NoliTHWEST     MIMTISH    AMKUICA. 


rif) 


fwim  aixl  tlic  Miukciizii'  rivjTH  How,  wliitli  i-  s.t  liijrlily  |trirM<'<l  fur  tin'  f'rrlility 
of  it^4  |)riiirii>  IiiimU.  Alxnit  oiu-  IniiDln)!  jumI  til'tv  imIIih  niHt  of  tlir  Kucky 
iiioiiiitaiiiH  tlu'  ffn-iit  ooal  Itcd  coiiuiiciicch,  wliidi  ;;ivcH  our  territory  ho  j;rnit  mi 
lulvitiita^r  over  tliat  wliicli  lit'r<  to  tlir  noiitli.  So  far  an  Iimm  ytt  Im-i-ii  aHcrrtaiiirtI, 
it  i(*  over  fifty  iiiilcH  iti  width  aiul  i-xtnidi*  (■oiitiiiiiniir*ly  over  Hixtccii  df'jjrrcrt 
of  latitiidf,  to  tli«'  Arctic  oi-faii. 

Tlir  (litHculty  of  (U'cidiii};  iiiion  tlu'  ap'  of  tin-  lictli*  tlirou}j;li  wliicli  tlii"  lower 
tart  of  Mackni/ir  rivt-r  Howh  ih  inert  anrd  liy  tin-  occurmic*'  ainonj;  tlifiii  of  a 
ignite  formation,  covered  in  |MirtF*  Ity  dee|)  ImmI.'I  of  naiid,  capped  l)y  lionldern 
and  jjravel.  'I'lie  xoft  friable  Hlialet*  forniin;,' llie  Itank  of  the  river  near  its  ter- 
irtiiiation  in  the  Arctic  nea  are  alH(»  pitr(»nf.'ly  inipre^'uated  with  alum.  Theao 
alimiinouH  nhaleH  cov«'r  u  larj^e  portion  of  the  delta  of  Mackenzie  river,  are  con- 
tinued alon^  the  hankn  of  I'eel'K  river  to  the  foot  of  the  Rocky  mountainn,  and 
have  hoen  traced  for  a  coiiHiderahle  distance  alou);;  the  conHt,  and  alr<o  alon^  the 
nhorcH  of  (jreat  Mear  lake.  The  aluminous  fdmle  is  constnntly  associated  with 
the  hituminous  formation  into  which  it  often  juisses. 

The  lipiite  formation  is  still  more  extensively  devtdoped;  and  as  tlu;  occur- 
rence of  c(»/d  in  any  form  in  these  hij;h  latitudes  is  a  (|Uestiou  of  uuu-h  interest, 
I  shall  here  state  hriefly  the  results  of  Sir  .lohu  lliclu'rdson's  rdiservationt)  and 
inmiiries  on  the  subject,  to  which  he  has  {j;iven  much  attention. 

riic  .Mnckenzie  traverses  very  oldiquely  the  hasin  in  which  the  li^^nite  f<»rum- 
tion  is  dep(»sited,  while  IJear  I^ake  river  cuts  it  more  «lirectly  across,  and  it  is  at 
the  junction  of  tlies<i  two  MtnNims  that  the  formation  is  Itcst  expostrd.  It  there 
coiiHists  of  a  series  of  beds,  the  thickest  of  which  exceeds  three  yards,  separated 
by  layers  of  j^ravel  and  sand,  alternatin<j:  with  a  tine  p-ained  friable  sandston(> 
and  sonu'times  with  thick  beds  of  clay,  the  interposin}^  layers  beinfj;  often  dark 
from  the  dis.>»emination  of  bituminous  matter.  "  The  coal  when  recently  ex- 
tracted from  the  bed,"  says  Sir  Jcdin  llichardson,  "  is  massive,  and  most  gouo- 
rally  shows  the  Avoody  structure  distinctly ;  the  beds  appearin^j^  to  be  c<unp(tsed 
of  pretty  larjje  trunks  of  trees,  lyinj;  hori/,(»ntally  and  havinj?  their  w<»ody  fibres 
and  layers  much  twisted  and  contorted,  similar  to  th(!  white  spruce  now  f^rowinpj 
in  expos(!d  situations  in  the  same  latitude.  Specimens  of  this  coal,  examined  by 
Mr.  Jiowerbank,  wore  [»ronoiinced  by  him  to  be  decidedly  of  coniferous  origin, 
and  the  structure  of  the  wood  to  b(;  more  like  that  of  Pin  us  than  Arumuiria  ; 
but  on  this  latter  point  ho  was  not  certain.  It  is  probable  that  the  examination 
of  a  greater  vnrioty  of  specimens  would  detect  several  kinds  of  wood  in  the 
coal,  as  a  bed  of  fossil  leaves,  connected  with  the  formation,  reveals  the  existence 
at  the  time  of  various  dicotylodtmous  trees,  probably  Arerina-,  and  one  of  which 
appears  to  belong  to  the  yew  tribe."  *  »  *  "  Different  beds,  and  even  dif- 
ferent parts  of  tlie  same  bed,  when  traced  to  the  distance  of  a  few  hundred 
yards,  present  examples  of  '  librous  brown  coal,'  '  earth  coal,'  '  conchoidal  brown 
coal,'  ami  '  trapezoidal  brown  coal.'  Som(;  beds  have  the  external  characters  of 
a  compact  bitumen,  but  they  generally  exhibit  on  the  cross  fracture  concentric 
layers,  although  from  tlieir  jet-like  comitosition  the  nature  of  the  woody  fibres 
cannot  be  detected  by  the  microscope.  Some;  pieces  have  a  strong  resemblance 
to  charcoal  in  structure,  colour,  and  lustre.  Very  frequently  the  t'oal  may  be 
named  a  '  bituminous  slate,'  of  which  it  has  many  of  the  lithologicaJ  characters, 
but  on  examination  with  a  lens  it  is  seen  to  bo  composed  of  comminuted  woody 
matter  mixed  with  clay  and  small  imbedded  fragments  resembling  charred  wood. 
From  the  readiness  Avith  which  the  coal  takes  fire  spontaneously,  the  beds  arc 
destroyed  as  they  become  exposed  to  the  atmosphere,  and  the  bank  is  constantly 
crumbling  down,  so  that  it  is  only  when  the  debris  have  been  washed  away  by 
the  river  that  good  sections  are  exposed." 

Formations  similar  to  that  foiuid  on  Mackenzie  river  extend  southward  along 
the  eastern  base  of  the  llocky  mountains,  as  far  as  the  Saskatchewan  river. 


} 


H.  Ex.  Doc.  1 46- 


1 1 


i'   i 


i    1 


h 


66 


RELATION.S    liETWEEN    THE    UNITED    .STATES 


8ir  Jolin  Rlchardrton  j'ivos  a  detailed  account  of  tlic  various  localities  betwticn 
thorte  two  points  in  which  beda  of  coal  have  been  exposed,  all  pointing?  to  the 
existence  of  a  vast  coal  Held,  s^kirtin";  the  base  of  the  Rocky  uiountainB  for  a 
very  great  extent,  and  continued  probably  far  into  the  Arctic  pea,  where,  as  is 
w<!ll  known,  lignite  apparently  of  a  similar  character  has  recently  b<'en  diecovereil 
by  Captain  McCluro  in  the  sanii!  general  line  with  the  localities  above  mentioned, 
la  the  coal  of  Jameson  Land,  lying  in  north  latitude  71°,  (on  the  east  side  of 
(irreenland,)  and  in  that  of  Melville  island,  in  latitude  75°  north,  Professor 
Jameson  found  plants  ri'sembling  those  of  the  coal  measures  of  Britain,  and 
similar  remains  have  b«!en  more  recently  discovered  by  Mr.  Daui  in  the  coal 
lields  of  Oregon  and  Vancouver's  it'  '..iU.  These  facts  are  sufficient  of  them- 
-tilves,  as  is  remarked  by  Sir  John  Richardson,  to  raise  a  world  of  conjecture 
n!specting  the  condition  of  the  earth  vhen  these  ancient  fossils  were  living 
plants.  If  the  great  coal  measures,  containing  similar  vegetable  fonns,  were 
deposited  at  the  same  epocli  in  distant  localities,  there  mu:,t  have  existed  when 
thai,  dcpof^ition  took  j)lace  a  similarity  of  condition  of  the  North  American  con- 
tinent from  latitude  75"  down  to  45^. 

The  importance  of  this  coal  field  in  connexion  with  the  construction  and 
working  of  a  Pacific  railway  can  hardly  be  over-estimated.  Beyond  the  Rocky 
mountains  thi;  geology  of  the  territory  is  not  so  well  known.  There  are 
ranges  of  mountains,  (Laurentiau,)  but  they  are  interspersed  with  great  valleys, 
very  favorable  for  agriculture  and  heavily  timbered. 

While  the  geologist  has  found  in  his  researches  many  proofs  of  the  wealth 
of  the  northwest  territory,  the  mineralogist  has  not  been  far  behind  him.  Al- 
most from  tht.  landing  upon  the  shores  of  Hudson  bay  of  the  first  fur  traders, 
the  country  has  l)een  repr'*sented  as  rich  in  irinerals.  Shortly  after  the  Hud- 
son Bay  Coirpany  fin-med  establi^<hments  ihere,  two  of  their  officers,  Car- 
nithers  and  Norton,  in  a  j()Urney  along  the  western  shores  of  the  bay,  were 
infonned  by  the  Indians  that  rich  mires  of  copper  existed  in  that  direction ; 
and  Dobbs,  in  his  "  Accoiuit  of  the  countries  adjoining  to  Hudson  bay," 
published  in  London,  in  1744,  says  that  he  learned  from  Mr.  Frost,  who  had 
been  stationed  for  a  long  period  at  several  of  the  factories  upon  the  Hudson 
bay,  that  "upon  the  east  main,"  (the  eastern  side  of  the  bay,)  "which  had 
lately  been  discovered,  there  is  an  exceedingly  rich  lead  mine,  from  whicli  the 
xiatives  brought  very  good  ore."  Dobbs  also  speaks  ol  the  rich  copper  mines 
north  of  Churchill,  situated  upon  the  other  side  of  the  bay.  By  the  evideiice 
of  Robert  Griffin,  a  silversmith,  for  five  years  resident  at  Hudson  bay,  taken 
in  1749  before  the  committee  of  inquiry  of  the  House  of  Commons  into  the 
condition  of  the  territory,  alluded  to  by  Mr.  Robson,  it  appears  that  the  former 
tested  the  ore  brought  from  the  east  main,  which  he  declared  to  contain  lead; 
that  he  remembered  several  quantities  of  this  ore  being  brought  the  ^e,  from 
one  to  fifteen  pounds  weight,  and  that  he  learned  from  the  Indians  that  it 
existed  in  abundance  in  the  interior  of  the  east  main. 

Sir  Alexander  Mackenzie,  in  the  course  of  his  journeys  to  the  Arctic  sea 
and  the  Pacific  ocean,  in  1789  and  1793,  respeerively,  saw  "  beautiful  pieces 
of  variegated  marble,  found  on  the  surface  of  the  ( arth  by  the  Chepewyan  In- 
dians, which  is  easily  worked,  bears  a  fine  polish,  hardens  with  time,  and  bears 
heat."  This  marble  he  saw  in  the  country  between  the  sixtieth  and  sixty-fifth 
parallels.  "  Among  the  stony  flake-like  slate,"  on  the  banks  of  the  Mackenzie, 
he  discovered  "  pieces  of  petroleum,  which  boars  a  resemblance  to  yellow  wax," 
and  the  Indians  infonned  him  that  "  rocks  of  a  similar  kind  were  scattere:' 
about  the  country  at  the  back  of  Slave  lake,  where  the  Chepewyans  collect 
copper."  All  the  Indians  w'  »m  he  met  had  either  copper  or  iron  tops  to  their 
spears,  and  near  the  river  of  Bear  lake  he  met  v  th  lumps  of  iron  ore  and 
springs  of  mineral  water.  Along  the  course  of  tin  Mackenzie,  as  far  as  66° 
north  latitude,  and  also  in  the  Rocky  mountains  in  56^  north  latitude  and  120'^ 


AND    XORTHWEOT    BRITISH    AMERICA. 


67 


wealtli 
in.     Al- 
traflers, 
c   Hud- 
rs,  Car- 
ly,  were 
ivectiou ; 
bay," 
o  ha«l 
iidsou 
cli  had 
icli  the 
minef* 
ideacc 
taken 
nto  the 
former 
h'ad ; 
t'rotn 
that  it 

it\c  sea 
pieces 

y^aii  Ill- 
bears 
ty-fifth 
Lcuzie, 
wax," 
attere:^ 
collect 
to  their 
re  tmd 
as  66° 
d  120'^ 


west  longitud*.'  he  discovc^rrd  coal  and  hitunu'!),  and  on  the  P(*ace  river,  a  south- 
wer*tern  hranch  of  the  Mackenzie;,  he  dincovered  (Several  salt  ftprings. 

During  tiie  liri*t  and  second  expedition  wliich  he  commanded  along  the  Arctic 
shores  of  the  continent  and  among  its  islands.  Parry  found,  at  Melville  island, 
flint,  coal,  ironstone,  madrepore,  and  sand  of  a  greenish  color ;  at  Southampton 
island,  a  (juantity  of  magnetic  ironstone;  near  Lyon  inlet,  (jpidote;  at  Red 
Point,  lapis  ollaris  and  a  j)iece  of  asbestos ;  at  Rendezvous  island,  rose  quartz, 
ledum  palustre,  ironstone,  and  graj)hite;  along  most  of  the  beaches,  rocks  abso- 
lutely studded  with  garnets  of  a  clear  and  brilliant  color ;  at  Winter  island, 
several  fine  specimens  of  madrepore,  sonie  curious  j)ieces  of  steatit»>,  (soap- 
stone,)  fine  specimens  of  asbestos  and  octynolitc?;  on  the  mainland,  opposite  to 
Bouverie  island,  some  verdigris  substance  among  reddish  sandstone,  variegated 
with  serpentine ;  and  at  Liddou  island  a  species  of  ironstone,  wliich,  from  its 
weight,  appeared  to  be  a  rich  ore,  a  good  deal  of  asbestos,  black  slatr,  and  in- 
dications of  coal. 

During  his  second  voyage  for  the  discovery  of  the  northwest  passage.  Sir 
John  Ross  observed  copper  ore  and  agate  at  Agnew  river,  and  gypsum,  red 
marl,  a  rock  studded  with  garnets,  and  white,  pink,  and  yellow  ([uartz,  at  Elizn- 
beih  harbor. 

Franklin  and  Richardson,  in  their  Joint  expeditions  through  the  heart  of  the 
t(!rritory  and  along  its  Arctic  shores,  discovered,  on  the  banks  of  Hill  ri, «'r, 
beds  of  quartz  rocks  containing  precious  garnets,  also  mica  slate;  at  Knee 
lake,  primitive  greenstone  with  disseminat(,'d  iron  pyrites;  at  Trout  river,  mag- 
netic iron  ore  and  well  crystalized  precious  garnets;  at  Lake  Winnipeg,  a  beau- 
tiful china-like  chert,  and  "  arenaceous  deposits  and  rocks  having  a  close 
resemblance  to  those  of  Pigeon  bay,  of  Lake  Superior,  where  argentiferous 
veins  occur;"  at  Cumberland  House,  on  the  Saskatchewan,  salt  and  sulphur 
springs  and  coal ;  at  Elk  river,  bitumen  in  such  (juantity  as  to  How  in  str«>ams 
from  fissures  in  the  rock;  upon  the  shores  of  Lake  Athabasca,  tht*  finest 
plumbago  and  chlorite  slate. 

In  a  letter  addressed  to  Sir  R.  Murchison,  Sir  John  Richardson  says  that 
'•  towards  the  mouth  of  the  Coppermine  river  there  are  magnificent  ranges  of 
trap,  wiih  ores  of  lead  and  copper,  including  much  malachite."  H(;  also  states 
that  a  rolled  piece  of  chromate  of  iron  was  picked  up  there,  "  which  is  a  mineral 
Aery  valuable  o?i  account  of  the  beautiful  pigments  which  are  manufactured 
from  it."  From  the  Rocky  mountains  Sir  Jtdni  Richardson  obtained  a  specimen 
of  a  pearl-grey  serai-opal,  resembling  obsidian;  also  some  plumbago  and  specular 
iron.  Referring  to  the  country  about  Slav(»  river,  he  says  :  "  The  great  (juan- 
tity  of  gypsum  in  immediate  connexion  with  extremely  co])ious  and  rich  salt 
springs,  and  the  great  abundance  of  petroleum  in  this  formation,  together  with 
the  arenaceous,  soft,  marly,  and  brecciated  beds  of  dolomite,  and,  above  all,  the 
circumstance  of  the  latter  being  by  far  the  most  common  and  extensive  rock  in 
the  deposit  led  me  to  think  that  the  limestone  of  the;  Elk  and  Slave  rivers  was 
equivalent  to  the  sechstein  of  the  continental  geologists."  The  salt  springs, 
situated  fixrther  to  the  south,  from  which  l.u-ge  quantities  of  pure  common  salt 
are  deposited.  Sir  John  Richardson  classes  as  belonging  to  the  celebrated  Onon- 
dago  salt  group  of  the  New  York  Helderberg  series.  By  Sir  Williani  Ijogau's 
report  it  appears  that  from  the  latter  springs  "no  less  than  3,134,317  bushels 
of  salt  were  profitably  manufactured  in  1851."  From  the  many  valuable  salt 
springs  which  exist  throughout  the  Hudson  bay  territory  the  finest  salt  could 
be  obtained,  which  article  would  of  itself  become  a  considerable  source  of  wealth 
were  the  country  occupied  by  settlers  in  any  number,  and  were  the  valuable  and 
varied  fisheries  of  its  coast  and  rivers  prosecuted  to  any  extent. 

The  foUoAving  are  some  of  the  specimens  which  Avere  collected  by  Captain 
Back  in  his  journey  from  Great  Slave  lake,  down  tlu^  (Jreat  Fish  river,  to  the 
Arctic  sea,  in   1831 :  Loose  Avorn  pebbles  of  blueish-gray  chalcedony,  brown 


68 


RELATIONS   IJETWEKN    THE    UNITED    STATES 


II  il 


I 


Ml 


jasper,  and  frnpfmcntH  of  a  con^floinerate,  consisting  of  fiorticnis  of  iTddish  jaBper, 
Hinty  slate,  and  quartz  of  various  hues  of  ^riij  and  brown,  a  variegated  marl  of 
a  greenisli-gray  color. 

Of  the  mineral  wealth  of  a  large  portion  of  the  territory  Sir  John  Richardson 
thus  speaks  in  general  terms,  in  a  communication  puV)lished  in  the  Journal  of 
the  Geographical  Society  for  1845:  "The  countries,  by  the  expeditions  of  Sir 
.lohn  Franklin  and  Captain  Ikek,  are  rich  in  minerals  ;  inexhaustible  coal  fields 
skirt  the  Rocky  mountains  through  twelve  degrees  of  latitude;  beds  of  coal 
crop  out  to  the  surface  on  various  parts  of  the  Arctic  coast ;  veins  of  lead  ore 
traverse  the  rocks  (»f  Coronation  Gulf,  and  the  Mackenzie  river  Hows  through  a 
well-wooded  tract,  skirted  by  metalliferous  ranges  of  mountains,  and  offers  no 
obstruction  to  steam  navigation  for  upwards  of  twelve  hundred  miles." 

The  gold  discoveries  in  the  ranges  of  the  Rocky  mountains  are  so  remarkable 
as  to  require  a  separate  consideration  at  a  later  stage  of  this  report. 

PART  II, 

THE  HISTORY  AND  ORGANIZATION  OF  'J HE  HUDSON  BAY  COMPANY. 

It  has  already  been  shown  that  the  Hudson  Bay  Company  no  longer  holds  a 
license  of  exclusive  trade  with  the  Indians  in  Northwest  British  America.  This 
expired  in  June,  1859,  and  Sir  E.  B.  Lytton,  then  colonial  secretary,  interposed 
to  prevent  its  renewal.  Upon  the  Pacific  coast  and  in  the  valley  of  the  Mackenzie 
the  company  has  no  privileges  over  individuals,  either  in  respect  to  trade  or 
territorial  dominion.  A  proprietary  right  to  the  scattered  trading  posts,  as  in- 
closures  of  land,  will  doubtless  be  recognized  as  surveys  are  extended. 

Over  the  shores  of  the  Hudson  bay  and  thi;  districts  drained  by  all  its  tribu- 
taries the  company  claims  exclusive  proprietary  right — to  be  absolute  lord  of 
the  soil.  I  annex  an  abstract  of  the  royal  charter,  Avhicli  is  the  foundation  of 
this  claim  to  the  country,  known  as  Rupert's  Land  or  Hudson  Bay  Territory. 

The  company's  charter  of  incorporation  is  dated  May  2,  1670,  in  the  22d 
year  of  King  Charles  the  Second.  It  is  given  at  length  in  the  I'arliamentary 
paper  No.  547,  sess.  1842.  The  preamble  states  that  certain  persons,  seventeen 
in  number,  to  wit,  Prince  Rupert,  Christopher,  (Duke  of  Albermarle,)  William, 
(Earl  of  Craven,)  Henry  Lord  Arlington,  Antony  Lord  Ashley,  Sir  John  Rob- 
inson, Sir  Robert  Vyner,  Sir  Peter  CcUeton,  Sir  Edward  Hungerford,  Sir  Paul 
Kneele,  Sir  John  Griffith,  Sir  Philip  Cartei'et,  James  Hayes,  John  Kirke, 
Francis  Millington,  William  Prettyman,  and  John  Fenu,  esquires,  and  John  Port- 
man,  citizen  and  goldsmith,  "  have,  at  their  own  cost  and  charges,  undertaken  an 
expedition  to  Hudson  bay,  in  the  northwest  part  of  America,  for  the  discovery 
of  a  new  passage  into  the  South  sea,  and  for  the  finding  of  some  trade  for 
furs,  minerals,  and  other  considerable  commodities ;  and  by  such  their  ;inder- 
taking  have  already  made  such  discoveries  as  to  encoin-age  them  to  proceed 
further  in  pursuance  of  their  said  design,  by  means  whereof  there  may  probably 
arise  a  very  great  advantage  to  us  and  our  kingdom  ;"  and  had  therefore  peti- 
tioned for  a  charter  of  incorporation.  On  these  considerations,  his  Majesty 
"  being  desirous  "  to  promote  all  endeavor"  tending  to  "  the  public  »iooD,"  pro- 
ceeds to  incorporate  the  persons  aforesaid  taider  the  title  of  "  The  governor  and 
company  of  adventurers  of  England  treading  into  Hudson  bay,"  with  "  per- 
petual succession  "  and  all  customary  corporate  privileges,  appointing  Prince 
Rupert  the  first  governor  thereof,  and  seven  of  the  other  petitioners  the  first 
committee." 

The  charter  confers  the  "  sole  trade  .and  commerce  of  all  those  seas,  straits, 
bays,  rivers,  lakes,  creeks,  and  sotmds,  in  whatsoever  latitude  they  shall  be, 
that  lie  within  the  entrance  of  the  straits  commonly  called  Hudson's  straits,  to- 
gether with  all  the  lands  and  territories,  coasts  and  confines  of  the  seas,  bays. 


AND    NORTHWEST    BRITISH   AMERK^A. 


69 


peti- 


"  per- 
;  first 


ktraittJ, 

(all  be, 

Its,  to- 

bays. 


M 


lakes,  rivers,  creeks,  and  sounds  aforesaid,  that  are  noi  ...ieady  actually  pos- 
sessed by  or  },'ranted  to  any  of  our  subjects,  or  j>o.i.sc.ssei/  hy  the  suhjertsof  any 
other  Christian  prinee  orlSfatc." 

In  a  subsequent  part  of  the  charter  the  <;rant  is  extended  to  "all  havens, 
bays,  creeks,  rivers,  lakes,  and  si  ;.s,  into  which  they  (the  company)  shafl  find 
entrance  or  jtassagc  liy  iruter  or  land,  out  of  the  territories,  liniits,  or  'places 
aforesaid,'''  which,  taken  literally,  may  mean  no  »nly  the  whole  continent  of 
America,  but  the  whole  world,  or  at  least  such  portions  of  both  as  were  not 
"possessed  by  the  subjects  of  any  other  Christian  prince  or  state."  All  tin; 
earth  was  clearly  accessible  by  land  or  water  from  Hudson  bay.  Coupled 
Avith  the  grant  there  was  the  reservation  that  the  territories  should  '•  be  from 
henceforth  reckoned  and  reputed  as  one  of  our  plautatit^ns  or  colonies  in  America, 
called  Rupert's  Laud,"  but  the  governor  and  company  for  the  time  being,  and 
in  all  time,  wen^  declared  to  be  "  tnu'  and  absolute  lords  and  proj)rieiors  of  the 
same  territory,"  holding  it  as  the  "ntancn-  of  East  Ureenwich,"  and  paying  for 
it  yearly  "/e^o  clhs  and  two  hiack  heavers,  whensoever  and  as  often  as  we,  our 
heirs  and  successors,  shall  happen  to  enter"  into  the  said  countries,  territories, 
and  regions  hereby  granted. 

The  authority  of  the  company  rests  upon  this  charter,  but  in  1G90  the  com- 
pany sought  for  and  obtained  an  act  of  Parliament  to  confirm  it.  In  the  body 
of  this  act  the  confirmation  is  "forever;"  but  whilst  tin;  bill  was  passing  through 
Parliament  the  Commons  limited  it  to  "ten  years,"  the  Lords  to  "seven;"  and 
the  bill  ultimately  passed  with  the  following  rider:  ''Provided  always,  Th&t 
this  act  shall  continue  in  force  for  the  term  of  seven  years,  and  from  thence  to 
the  end  of  the  next  session  of  Parliament,  and  no  longer." 

At  the  end  of  the  seven  years  tlu;  companv  introduced  a  new  bill,  but,  appre- 
hending a  defeat,  withdrev,-  it ;  and  from  that  day  to  this  it  has  relied  solely  for 
all  its  assumed  territorial  and  trading  rights  over  Rupert's  Land  to  its  original 
charter. 

The  claim  of  England  to  Hudson  bay  was  founded  upon  a  presumed  dis- 
covery of  Henry  Hudson,  who,  in  IGIO,  was  the  first  navigator  that  sailed  into 
the  strait  that  leads  into  the  bay.  It  does  not  appear  that  he  sailed  into  the  bay, 
for  his  crew,  having  mutinied,  cast  him  adrift  somewhere  in  the  entrance  of  the 
strait,  and  he  was  never  again  heard  of.  The  French,  however,  accordmg  to 
Charlevoix,  vol.  1,  page  476,  had  discovered  Hudson  bay  at  an  earlier  period, 
having  arrived  at  its  shores  through  means  of  the  river  flowing  into  James's 
bay  from  the  countries  lying  to  the  eastward  .ind  northward  of  Quebec.  And 
the  French  had  likewise  penetrated,  by  means  of  the  St.  Lawrence  and  the 
great  lakes,  to  those  vast  countries  lying  to  the  westward  of  Hudson  bay, 
and  even  as  far  as  the  Pacific.  At  sill  events,  the  French,  at  a  very  early  day, 
exercised  a  control  and  had  acquired  possession  of  the  entire  Winnipeg  basin. 

In  1G26  Louis  XIII  granted  a  charter  to  a  company  called  the  Company  of 
New  France,  conferring  upon  them  exclusive  rights  and  privileges,  and  giving 
them  an  absolute  control  over  all  the  country  of  New  France,  called  Canada, 
(dite  Canada,)  and  the  boundaries  decided  in  that  act  or  charter  are  definite, 
certain,  and  explicit,  and  are  almost  precisely  those  by  which  the  Hudson  Bay 
Company  describe  what  they  call  their  territories  in  more  recent  times.  In 
1670,  forty-three  years  subsequent  to  the  grant  of  the  French  monarch,  and 
wliilst  France  continued  in  the  possession  of  Hudson  bay  and  all  the  country 
west  of  it,  Charles  the  Second  of  England  made  the  great  charter  already 
mentioned. 

The  geographical  knowledge  of  Charles,  though  very  limited  and  imperfect 
as  regards  those  straits,  was  evidently  not  so  circumscribed  but  that  some  idea 
existed  that  they  might  lead  to  the  possession  of  scmie  other  power,  for  a  pro- 
viso exists  in  the  charter  excluding  from  the  operations  of  the  grant  "  all  lands, 
&c.,  possessed  by  the  subjects  of  any  other  Christian  prince  or  state."     The 


70 


RELATIONS    BETWEEN    THE    UNITED    STATES 


I 


<'i 


n 

it 


II 

n 

It 


compjiny.  however,  actinf^  under  tlie  charter,  built  fortn  on  the  shore*^  of  Ilud- 
Hon  hay,  in  opi<()t*ition  to  tlione  erected  by  the  French  company,  and  the  trade 
of  tlie  two  was  conducted  amid  a  continual  Htrife,  and  flourished  until,  by  the 
treaty  of  Ryswick,  in  1607,  the  Enfrlinh  forts  in  Hudson  bay  were  ceded  to 
France,  liancroft,  in  his  histfry  (A'  the  I'nited  States,  thus  records  the  result 
of  that  treaty : 

"  In  America,  France  retained  all  Hudson  bay  and  all  th»>  places  of  which 
she  was  in  possession  at  the  bef;;innin<5  of  the  war ;  in  other  words,  Avith  the  ex- 
ception of  the  eastern  moiety  of  Newfoiuidland,  France  retained  the  whole 
coast  and  adjacent  islands  from  Maine  to  beyond  liabrador  and  Hudson  bay, 
hesides  Canada  and  the  valley  of  the  Mississipjn." — (Vol.  2,  pa;;e  h)2.) 

As  the  treaty  alluded  to  makes  no  allusion  or  reservation  rej^arding  the  sup- 
posed rights  of  the  Hudson  Hay  (jompany,  it  is  urged  by  Canadians  that  the 
charter  really  had  no  existence  legally,  and  was  not  recognized,  or  it  was  abro- 
gated by  the  treaty.  France  held  Hudson  bay  until  1714,  when,  by  the  treaty 
of  Utrecht,  Hudson's  straits  and  Hudson  bay  were  made  over  to  England,  and 
that  was  the  first  time  that  she  acquired  an  undisputed  right  to  that  region  of 
country,  nearly  half  a  century  after  the  date  of  the  charter  by  Charles  II. 

It  was,  however,  provided  by  the  articles  of  this  last  mentioned  treaty,  "  That 
it  shall  be  entirely  free  to  the  cc»mpany  of  Quebec,  and  all  the  other  subjects  of 
the  most  Christian  king,  to  go  by  land  or  by  sea  whithersoever  they  please  out 
of  the  lands  of  the  said  bay,  together  Avitii  all  their  goods,  mei'chandise,  arms, 
and  effects." 

The  French  traders,  after  having  left  Hudson  bay,  confined  themselves  to 
that  channel  of  trade  which  the  great  lakes  opened  out  to  them,  and  passing 
up  through  Lake  Superior  they  spi'ead  themselves  over  the  country  westward, 
by  establishing  posts  at  Rainy  lake,  the  U])per  Mississippi,  the  Red  river,  and  on 
the  Assinniboin  and  Saskatchewan  rivtis.  The  Hudson  Bay  Company  then 
occupied  the  few  forts  along  the  shores  of  Hudson  bay,  and  for  the  succeeding 
one  hundred  years  contented  themselves  with  trading  around  Hudson  bay,  and 
claiming  no  greater  territory  than  those  shores  afforded  them.  In  1763  Canada 
was  ceded  to  England. 

About  three  years  subsequent  to  the  conquest,  namely,  in  1766,  many  British 
subjects,  mostly  of  Scotch  origin,  engaged  in  the  fur  trade,  and  following  the 
route  pursued  by  the  French  tradc^rs  carried  their  enterprises  as  far  westward  as 
the  French  had  penetrated,  and  occupied  many  of  the  posts  of  these  their  prede- 
cessors in  the  valley  of  the  Saskatchewan.  And  they  even  stretched  away 
northward,  and  single-handed  entered  into  direct  competition  with  the  Hudson 
Bay  Company,  which  at  that  period  confined  their  traffic  to  the  coasts  of  Hud- 
son bay  only. 

These  circumstances  were  instrumental  in  originating  a  powerful  organization 
in  Montreal,  vmder  the  style  of  the  Northwest  Company,  in  the  winter  of  1783, 
and  from  that  date  down  to  1821  that  company  successfully  competed  against 
the  Hudson  Bay  Company,  treating  the  charter  of  Charles  the  Second  as  a 
nullity,  in  accordance  with  the  written  legal  opinions  of  the  then  leading  law- 
yers of  England,  Brougham,  Gibbs,  Spankie,  Piggot,  &c.,  &c. 

The  Northwest  Company  was  not  a  chartered  one,  but  as  the  successors  to 
the  old  French  tradei'S  they  pursued  a  very  lucrative  trade  throughout  the  whole 
western  country,  via  the  lakes,  trading  to  the  shores  of  the  Pacific,  and  pene- 
trating to  regions  which  the  French  had  not  reached.  Their  fleets  of  canoes, 
laden  with  goods  for  the  Indians,  or  furs  for  Montreal,  traversed  the  continent 
in  every  direction  through  the  connected  chain  of  rivers  and  lakes  from  Mon- 
treal to  Puget's  soiHid.  A  perusal  of  Sir  Alexander  Mackenzie's  voyages  will 
afford  some  idea  of  the  scale  upon  which  the  commercial  enterprises  of  the  Can- 
adian company  were  carried  cm  over  the  western  part  of  the  continent  for  nearly 
half  a  century,  before  the  Hudson  Bay  Company  entered  there.     This  latter 


AM)    NORTHWEST    lUMTISH    AMKRICA 


Tl 


coinpany,  up  to  1811,  liad  coiiHm'd  tlicir  cliiim  to  tlic  slioros  of  tlif  Hudson 
bay,  and  then,  as  now,  tlicy  rcfcivtd  all  their  supplies  from  Kiifjjlaiid,  ria  Hud- 
Hou  bay,  wliilst  the  Northwest  Company  took  theirs  from  Montreal. 

In  18ril  the  Northwest  Compiiny  united  with  the  Hudson  May  (.'ompany, 
and  under  this  latter  name  became  the  asserttirs  of  claims  which,  durinj;;  tho 
period  of  half  a  centiuy,  tiny  had  always  denounced  and  successfully  defied. 

Tlic  pooph^  of  Minnesota,  while  sliarin}?  fully  the  Canadian  opinion  that  tin.' 
charter  of  the  Hudson  liay  Ccmipany  pr«'sents  no  valid  obstacle  to  tho  as- 
sumptifMi  by  parliament  to  territorial  dominion  in  the  valleys  of  the  Red  River 
and  Saskatcliewan — vesting  it  in  a  provincial  frovernment — by  no  meaiirf  assent 
to  the  denunciations  of  that  remarkable  organization.  Its  numerous  pctsts  ex- 
ercise a  wholesome  police  over  the  Indian  tribes;  under  tin;  protection  of  its 
officers  scientific  investigation  has  been  prosecuted  in  all  directions;  travellers 
are  always  assured  of  humane  and  hospitable  treatment;  and  missionary  enter- 
prises receive  etficient  encouragement.  There  is  reason  to  believe  that  the 
leading  men  of  the  company,  both  in  England  and  northwest  America,  oidy 
need  to  be  satisfied  that  an  energetic  colonizatiftn  will  succeed  their  jjresetit  oc- 
cupation, when  they  will  cheerfully  accept  a  parliamentary  adjustment  of  their 
possessory  rights,  and  co-operate  in  the  establishment  of  representative  institu- 
tions and  in  whatever  measures  will  contribute  to  the  material  development  of 
agricultural  and  mineral  resources.  The  members  of  the  company  who  reside 
in  America  can  readily  perceive  how  tliey  may  receive  an  hundred  fold  more 
advantage  as  jtroprietors  of  future  cities  and  towns  than  us  incorporated  fur- 
traders.  Fort  William  on  Thunder' ba}-,  Lake  Superior,  north  shore;  Fort 
Francis  on  Rainy  river;  Fort  Garry  on  Red  River;  Carlton,  Pitt,  and  Edmonton 
on  the  north  Saskatchewan ;  Chesterfield  on  its  south  branch ;  and  other  points 
on  the  Pacific  slope  will  be  the  scenes  of  operations  far  more  remunerative  and 
exciting  than  these  trading  posts  hav(;  ever  before  witnessed. 

Many  particulars  of  the  policy  of  tin;  Hudson  Bay  Company  can  be  more 
properly  presented  in  connexion  with  the  narrative  of  the  Selkirk  settlement. 

PART  III. 

SELKIRK  SETILEMENT— ITS  FOUNDATION,  INSTITUTIONS,  AND  A(iUICULTlIUE. 

This  interesting  community,  which  for  nearly  half  a  century  has  occupied 
the  interior  of  British  America,  isolated  until  lately  from  all  the  activities  and 
excitements  of  the  world,  is  so  closely  related  in  its  early  annals  to  the  French 
and  English  colonization  of  the  continent,  and  the  struggles  foi  the  fur  trade  of 
the  north,  that  some  repetition  of  historical  statements  already  made  will  be 
unavoidable  in  the  present  connexion.* 

EARLV    SETTLKMENT    OK    SELKIRK. 

Over  one  hundred  years  ago  French  adventurers,  eager  to  extend  the  area  of 
their  fur  trade  and  the  limits  of  the  French  dominions,  pushed  their  explorations 
through  the  rivers  which  debouche  on  the  northern  sh(u-e  of  Lake  Superior  be- 
yond Winnipeg.  In  an  old  map  reproduced  in  Mr,  Neill's  history  of  Minnesota, 
and  dated  as  eirly  as  1762,  Fort  La  Reine  is  designated  at  the  confluence  of 
the  Assinniboin  and  Red  rivers,  where  the  coureurs  des  bois  from  the  French 
establishment  at  Mackinac  used  to  trade  with  the  Omahas  and  Assinniboins,    A 


*'  I  am  greatly  indclitcil  to  tlic  successive  iml)liciitions  of  Hon.  J.  A.  Wheelock,  coimiiis- 
sioncr  of  sttitistics  of  the  Stsite  of  MinnesoUi.  for  tlie  luateritils  of  this  ch  ipter.  Mr.  Whee- 
lock's  annual  j>ul)licjitions  for  186(l-  '61  exhibit  im  intelligent  sijipreciiition  of  the  new  epoch 
of  development  whidi  has  heconie  imminent  in  northwest  Ihitish  America,  and  the  magni- 
tude of  commercial  and  social  results  to  the  adjacent  American  States. 


•;1 


I  i 


72 


RELATIONS    UETWEEN    THE    UNITED    STATES 


similar  tnuliii}?  i<tntion  at  tlio  HJime  period  existed  on  the  east  side  of  Lai<o  Win- 
iiipef?,  and  anotlier  on  lln!  Lake  of  tlie  Woods. 

TIiomaH  Onrry,  a  Canadian  trader,  wlio  ascended  tlie  Saskatchewan  in  1776, 
was  the  lirst  who  advanced  lieyond  Lake  Winnii)ej:;  witli  a  view  to  traflic.  The 
profits  of  liis  voyajye  <'nconra<;ed  others  to  foUow  his  example.  Their  success 
aronsjul  tlic  j<'ahinsy  of  tlieir  Finfj^lisli  conij>etitors,  who  liad  estahlislied  a  traffic 
on  th«!  shor(!8  of  Hudson  l)ay,  and  pive  rise  to  a  hinj;  series  of  disorders  and 
excesses.  Josepli  Frohisher  and  his  brother,  who  went  h(!yond  the  fifty-ninth 
degree  of  latitude  to  Churchill  and  Pile  In  Crossv,  and  Peter  I'ond,  who  in 
1778  entcnjd  English  river  and  tlu;  river  L'Orignal,  where  ho  passed  the  winter, 
are  the  principal  names  associated  with  the  earlier  exjdorations  of  this  country. 
In  1781  four  canoes  filled  with  traders  ascended  the  Saskatchewan  to  the  high- 
lands which  divide  its  sources  from  the  valley  of  the  jNIackenzie.  In  1783  the 
Northwest  Company,  principally  com])osed  of  the  persons  already  mentioned, 
was  organized,  and  waged  a  bitter  competition  with  numerous  rivals.  In  1787 
the  several  fur  companies,  who  had  been  contending  for  the  exclusive  trade  of 
the  Indians  of  the  northwest,  consolidated  under  the  nam<!  of  the  NorthAvest 
Company,  which  then  had  only  one  remaining  rival  in  the  Hudson  Hay  Company. 

The  latter  corporation,  whose  charter  dated  back  to  the  reign  of  Charles  II, 
in  1670,  had  not  yet  extended  their  establishments  into  this  region,  and  the 
Northwest  Companv  -njoyed  an  undisturbed  monopoly  of  th(!  lucrative  trade 
which  the  French  iiaa  resigned  into  their  hands.  Their  dream  of  exclusive 
dominion  was,  however,  soon  ended. 

In  1805  Lord  Selkirk,  a  benevoh'ut  but  impracticable  Scotchman,  and  a 
member  of  the  Hudson  Bay  Company,  who  had  penetrated  into  this  region, 
was  so  struck  with  its  beauty  and  fertility  and  the  mildness  of  its  climate,  that 
he  conceived  the  project  of  planting  colonies  here  whose  growth  should  com- 
pensate the  British  crown  for  the  recent  loss  of  the  united  colonies,  and  he  wrote 
several  tracts  urging  the  superiority  of  this  region  for  the  British  emigrant  over 
any  portion  of  the  United  States.  In  1811  lie  succeeded  in  obtaining  for  colo- 
nization a  grant  of  land  on  the  Red  River  from  the  Hudson  Bay  Company, 
which  was  at  the  same  time  aroused  by  his  representations  to  the  necessity  of 
extending  their  jurisdiction  over  a  country  so  rich  in  furs  and  of  securing  its 
trade  to  themselves. 

In  the  aiitumn  of  the  following  year  a  small  detachment  of  emigrants,  whom 
Lord  Selkirk  had  collected  from  the  highlands  of  Scotland,  after  a  long  and 
toilsome  joimiey,  which  must  have  beeji  terrible  in  the  vast  solitudes  through 
which  it  led  them  and  to  which  it  led,  arrived  on  the  banks  of  the  Red  River, 
near  its  confluence  with  the  Assinniboin.  There  they  commenced  building 
houses,  when  their  work  Avas  stopped  by  a  party  of  men  in  the  service  of  the 
Northwest  Company,  who,  disguised  in  Indian  costume,  ordered  them  to  desist. 
Frightened  by  their  menaces,  they  were  induced  to  take  refuge  at  Pembina. 
Their  guides,  as  savage  in  disposition  as  in  their  assumed  dress,  tyrannized 
without  mercy  over  the  affi'ighted  colonists,  robbing  them  of  whatever  they  most 
prized,  and  found  a  cruel  sport  in  the  alarm  they  caused  the  mothers  by  pretend- 
ing to  run  off  Avith  their  children.  Several  of  the  more  delicate  died  under  the 
shock  of  this  inhuman  treatment.  The  Avinter  having  been  passed  in  tents  .it 
Pembina,  they  Avere  permitted  to  return  to  their  settlements  in  the  spring.  Their 
labors  Avere  about  to  be  rcAvarded  Avith  an  abundant  liarA'est,  Avhen  it  was  de- 
stroyed by  birds.  The  next  Avinter  was  again  j)as9ed  at  Pembina,  and  Avhen  they 
returned  to  their  settlements  in  the  spring  they  Avere  in  a  condition  of  abject 
poverty. 

"By  the  month  of  September,  1815,"  says  the  Reverend  E.  I).  Neill,  the 
historian  of  Minnesota,  "the  number  of  settlers  Avas  about  two  hundred,  and  the 
colony  was  called  Kildonan,  after  the  old  parish  in  Scotland  in  winch  many 
were  born.     With  increased  numbers  all  seemed  auspicious.     Houses  A\'ere  built, 


AND    NORTHWK.ST    nRITLSH    AMKHICA. 


78 


desist, 
abina. 
inized 
most 
tend- 
er the 
nts  Jit 
Their 
.8  de- 
they 
bject 


\d  the 
lany 


a  mill  crcH'tcd,  and  imported  cnttlc  and  .•'liccj)  l)cjj;fin  to  f^rnzr  on  th(>  undulating 
plnins." 

Bnt  avarice  and  jealousy  tbllowed  them  even  to  ther^e  solitudes.  Tlie  North- 
west Company  never  looked  with  favor  on  the  {growth  of  the  settlement,  which 
was  re^^arded  as  a  scheme  of  tln.'ir  rivals  uf  the  Hudson  J^ay  Company  to  dis- 
possess them  of  tin;  'ucrafivc;  posts  which  I  hey  occupied  in  the  neif^hhorhood ; 
and  in  the  summer  of  1814  Duncan  Cameron  and  Alexander  ^fcDonnel  wore 
appointed  at  a  meetinfj;  of  tin;  partners  of  the  company  to  concert  measures  to 
sto})  the  progress  of  tlie  colony.  In  pursuance  of  this  design,  Cannron,  who 
spoke  the  fJaelie  with  fluency,  artfully  insinuated  himself  into  the  confidence  of 
the  Higldaiidt  r.s,  mid  without  evincing  direct  hostility  to  the  jilans  of  Selkirk, 
gradually  sowed  the  seeds  of  disafllection  in  tin;  settlement,  which,  in  the  spring 
of  1815,  culminated  in  the  desertion  of  a  nundter  of  the  colonists  to  the  quarters 
of  the  Nortiiwestern  Company,  M'hose  employt'-s  in  the  meanwhile  had  broken 
open  the  storehouse  of  tin;  colony  and  carried  away  tlu'ir  field  ])ieces.  Endeavors 
were  also  made,  with  pai'tial  success,  to  excite  the  minds  of  the  Indians  against 
the  settlers. 

A  murderous  attack  was  mad(!  by  the  Northwest  party  on  the  governor's  house, 
who  was  seized  and  carried  off  to  Montreal  by  Cameron.  McDonnel  followed 
up  this  outrage  with  a  series  of  aggressions  on  the  settlers.  Persecuted  to  ex- 
tremity, they  were  again  forced  to  abandon  their  homes.  About  this  time,  says 
Mr.  Neill,  toward  the  latter  part  of  the  pleasant  month  of  June,  two  Ojibwa 
chiefs  amved  with  forty  braves  and  offered  to  escort  the  persecuted  settlers,  with 
their  property,  to  Lake'  Winnipeg. 

Guarded  by  the  grim  children  of  the  forest  from  the  assaults  of  their  foes, 
they,  like  the  Acadian  peasants  in  "Evangeline,"  were  "friendless,  homeless, 
hopeless."  The  mournful  picture  of  the  Acadian  expatriation  was  mourn- 
fully fulfilled,  even  in  the  sad  sight  of  their  dwellings  wrapped  in  the  flames 
which  the  incendiary's  torch  had  lighted. 

In  the  following  spring  the  fugitives  returned  to  their  colony  under  the  pro- 
tection of  an  officer  of  the  Hudson  Bay  Company,  who  arrested  Cameron  and 
sent  him  to  England  for  trial. 

In  the  meantime  the  Earl  of  Selkirk,  learning  of  the  distresses  of  the  colonists, 
sailed  for  America.  He  arrived  at  New  York  in  the  fall  of  181.5,  where  rumors 
of  their  defection  reached  him,  and  in  the  following  spring  h(>  set  out  for  the 
colony  with  a  military  escort,  which  he  had  organized  from  some  disbanded 
military  companies.  At  Sault  St.  Marie  tidings  of  new  disasters  reached  him. 
Semple,  the  governor  of  the  territory  of  the  Hudson  Bay  Company,  who  had 
but  just  taken  possession  of  his  new  quarters  on  Red  River,  was  attacked  by  a 
party  of  the  employes  of  the  Northwestern  Company  and  killed,  with  a  number 
of  his  men,  in  the  affray. 

The  settlers  were  again  exjielled  from  their  homes  by  the  victorious  ma- 
rauders, and  were  already  on  their  way  to  the  sea-coast,  when  they  were  re- 
called by  the  welcome  news  of  Selkirk's  approiich.  A  reinforcement  of  (Mni- 
grants,  sent  to  the  colony  under  his  direction,  had  preceded  him.  Incensed  at 
the  atrocities  which  had  been  perpetrated  by  the  agtints  of  the  Northwestern 
Company,  he  had  proceeded  with  his  forct;  to  the  headquarters  of  that  company, 
at  Fort  William,  on  Lake  Superior,  and,  having  apprehended  the  principal 
parties,  sent  them  to  Montreal  for  trial. 

His  arrival  at  Red  River  soon  retrieved  the  affairs  of  the  colony,  and  he  left  it 
the  following  year  in  a  floiuishing  condition. 

Owing,  however,  to  the  scarcity  of  seed,  which  was  the  natural  consequence 
of  the  difficulties  already  stated,  the  harvest  of  1817,  though  the  yield  Avas 
prolific,  was  insufficient  to  supply  the  wants  of  the  increasing  population,  and 
hunting  was  again  resorted  to  for  subsistence.  They  set  out  in  December  across 
the  plains  to  join  a  distant  camp  of  Pembina  half-breed  hunters  and  Indians. 


74 


RKLATIONS    HKTWKEN    THE    UNITED    STATES 


11 


Si 


Tlioy  ronclicd  it,  iit't«*r  a  joiiriicy  (»t'  torriltlc  siiffcrinfr,  to  find  tlio  Uiiff'alo  ncnroo, 
and  tlif  ojinip  subsistinfj  imon  scanty  tan-.  Sprinj;  renewed  their  lioiies.  The 
Hunnnor  waH  propitious.  'Vhv.  harvest  was  ah-eady  ripe  for  the  sickle,  wlion  n 
ncAV  and  terrihie  calamity  betel  thorn. 

It  was  at  this  epoch,  in  tin;  summer  (»f  1818,  that  the  {jrassiioppers,  which, 
for  the  past  and  present  years,  have  apdn  devastated  those  settlements,  and 
extended  tlu'ir  depredations  over  a  considerable  part  of  Minnesota,  made  tlieir 
first  recorded  appearance  in  that  rcfjjion.  The  vast  armies  of  those  insects  dark- 
ened the  air,  an((  passed  over  the  land  like  a  consuming  fire,  licking  up  every 
green  thing.  'J'lu!  ncjxt  year  (1819)  the  havoc  Avas  even  worse.  "They  were 
produced,"  says  Ross,  "  in  masses  two,  tln'oe,  or  four  inches  in  depth.  The 
water  was  infected  with  them.  Along  the  river  they  were  to  be  found  in  heapa 
like,  sea-weed,  and  might  be  shovelle«l  with  a  spade.  Every  vegetable  substance 
was  either  eat(!n  up  or  stripped  to  the  bare  stalk.  The  bark  of  trees  shared  the 
same  fate.  Even  fires,  if  kindled  out  of  doors,  were  immediately  extinguished 
by  them." 

The  hunter's  lift;  alone  seemed  left  to  the  despairing  colonists,  but  one  more 
effort  was  made  to  retrieve  tlieir  condition.  During  the  winter  of  1819-'20  a 
deputation  of  settlers  travelled  a  thousand  miles  on  snow  shoes  across  Minnesota 
to  I'rairie  du  Chien  for  seed.  The  details  of  the  return  trip  in  the  spring  of 
182iO  are  highly  interesting.  Three  Mackinac  boats  laden  with  wheat,  oats, 
and  peas  started,  on  the  I5th  of  April,  from  l^rairie  du  Chien  for  the  Selkirk 
settlements  on  Red  River.  "  On  tin;  third  day  of  May  the  boats  passed  through 
Lake  Pepin ;  the  voyage  was  continued  on  Minnesota  river  to  Big  Stone 
lake,  from  which  a  portage  Avas  made  iuto  Lac  Traverse,  a  mile  and  a  half 
distant,  the  boats  being  moved  across  on  rollers."  On  the  third  day  of  June 
the  party  arrived  at  Pembina,  where,  on  opposite  sides  of  the  stream  of  that 
name,  the  Hudson  Bay  and  Northwest  Companies  had  rival  trading  posts. 
This  eventful  voyage  is  one  of  the  most  striking  incidents  in  the  clu'onicles  of 
the  settlement,  and,  as  remarked  by  Oovenior  Sibley  in  an  address  delivered 
by  him,  "  is  worthy  of  note,  as  it  is  the  only  instance  of  heavy  articles  being 
transported  the  entire  distance  from  Prairie  du  Chien  to  the  Red  River  by  water, 
Avith  the  exception  of  the  narroAv  portage  between  Big  Stone  lake  and  Lake 
Traverse." 

The  next  two  years  of  continued  prosperity  repaired  the  disasters  which  had 
heretofore  assailed  the  colony.  In  1821  the  tAvo  great  rival  trading  companies, 
tired  of  useless  bloodshed  and  expensive  strife,  consolidated,  under  the  name 
of  the  Hudson  Bay  Company,  and  their  union  seemed  to  secure  the  future  peace 
and  safety  of  the  settlement. 

In  the  same  year  a  number  of  Swiss  arrived  in  the  colony.  Clockmakers  in 
profession,  the  new  pursuits  to  Avhich  they  were  called  were  not  congenial  to 
them.  Like  the  Swiss  soldiers  of  Napoleon,  they  grew  homesick,  and  pined 
for  their  native  mountain  homes. 

The  settlement  was  not  done  with  calamity.  Misfortune,  Avhich  had  pursued 
it  in  every  fonn,  in  each  successive  visit  took  shapes  more  appalling  than  the 
last.  The  Avinter  and  spring  of  1825-'26  brought  a  fresh  train  of  disasters.  In 
the  month  of  December  a  furious  storm  overtook  a  large  party  of  buflfalo  hunters 
in  the  northern  plains  of  Minnesota,  and  drove  the  buffalo  out  of  their  reach. 
Relying  solely  on  the  flesh  of  this  animal  for  subsistence,  cut  off  by  the  Avide 
Avaste  of  deep  snoAvs  from  the  nearest  settlement  at  Pembina,  nearly  200  miles 
distant,  they  had  no  resource  in  this  emergency.  Starvation  stared  them  in 
the  face.  Fuel  was  as  inaccessible  as  food.  Imprisoned  in  the  deep  snoAvs, 
overAvhelmed  Avith  cold  and  hunger,  numbers  perished  in  the  camp,  or  in  a  vain 
attempt  to  reach  Pembina,  before  rumors  of  their  situation  reachecl  the  colony. 

The  calamities  of  the  settlers  reached  their  climax  in  the  ensuing  spring,  A\'hen 
the  melting  suoavs  poured  their  torrents   into  the   streams.     The  year  182G  is 


ursued 
an  the 
In 
luntors 
reach. 
0  wide 
)  miles 
lem  in 
snoAvs, 
a  vain 
lony. 
,  when 
82C  is 


AND   NORTHWEST    nRITISH   AMERICA. 


76 


niemorahlc  in  their  cuh-Jidar  afl  the  year  of  the  fidod.  ( hi  the  2d  of  May  the 
Rod  Itiver  rcse  nine  feet  in  twenty-fonr  liourn,  and  Ity  the  r>\\i  tlio  level  plainn 
were  nnhnierged.  The  waters  eontinned  to  rise  till  the  Slnt,  when  lion^ieH  and 
hams  were  swept  off"  in  the  delu{?e.  The  setth-rs  Hed  to  the  distant  hills, 
whence  tlic  wat<'rs  swept  over  the  wide  plains  as  far  as  the  eye  conld  see.  The 
Hood  ahated  in  Jnne,  "  and  sncii,"  says  Mr.  Neill,  "  is  the  snrprisinf"^  (jnicknesrt 
with  which  vegetation  matures  live  dej^rees  of  latitude  north  (»f  St.  Paul,  that 
wheat  j)lnnted  on  the  22d  of  June  came  to  niattirity." 

The  discontented  Swiss,  driven  from  their  homes  hy  the  flood,  did  not  return 
to  the  settlement,  but  departed  for  the  L'nited  States  and  settled  at  ditlerent 
j)oints  on  the  hanks  of  the  Mississippi.  It  is  a  curious  historical  fact,  that  the 
first  emigrants  to  Minnesota  were  the  Swiss  refugees  from  Red  River,  in  182G, 
who  opened  farms  on  the  present  site  of  St.  Paul  and  near  Fort  Siielliug ;  and 
according  to  our  historian,  should  he  recognized  as  the  iirst  actual  settlers  of 
the  State. 

Since  this  destructive  inundation  no  event  has  occurred  in  the  history  of  the 
settlement  to  interrupt  the  calm  course  of  its  prosperity,  until  the  year  18r»2 
brought  another  recurrence  of  the  deluge  which  had  swejit  over  the  plains 
twenty-six  years  before.  The  waters  in  that  year  rose  a  foot  high(;r  than  in 
182G.  In  consequence  of  the  exposure  of  the  settlement  at  Pembina  to  these 
ruinous  casualties,  a  new  site  Avas  selected  for  the  (Jatholic  missions  at  that 
place,  near  Mount  Pembina,  f(»rty  miles  distant,  at  a  j)lace  called  St.  Josejdi. 

A  visit  of  Colonel  Sumner,  of  the  United  States  army,  to  Pembina,  in  1844, 
to  stop  the  <'ncroachments  of  the  Rritish  lialf-breeds  on  the  buft'alo  ranges  of 
Minnesota,  and  Governor  Ramsey,  in  1 8.51,  to  make  a  treaty  with  the  Upper 
Chippewas  ;  an  occasional  battle  with  the  Yancton  Sioux ;  the  arrival  of  a  new 
missionary,  or  the  visit  of  an  explorer ;  the  success  or  failure  of  a  season's  hunt, 
and  the  yearly  expeditions  from  the  settlement  to  the  new  cities  which  have 
arisen  during  the  last  ten  years  on  the  headwaters  of  the  Mississippi ;  the 
excitement  of  their  return,  freighted  Avith  curious  Avarcs  to  gratify  the  fancy  of 
the  delighted  Avomen  and  children,  are  all  the  incidents  of  their  lives,  until  the 
prospect  of  emancipation  from  the  control  of  the  Hudson  Bay  Company  gave 
a  new  impetus  and  an  intelligent  direction  to  the  discontents  Avhich  have  been 
long  brewing  in  the  colony. 

In  1859  the  introduction  of  steamboat  navigation  added  to  the  prcA-alent  ex- 
pectation and  excitement,  Avhile,  in  18G2,  the  discovery  of  gold  on  the  sources 
of  the  Saskatchewan  is  a  further  signal  of  a  ncAV  epoch  in  the  history  of  the 
community. 

INSTITUTIONS    OF   SELKIRK    SETTLEMKNT. 

Government. — The  settlements  upon  the  Red  RiAcr  of  the  North,  from  the 
international  boundary  at  Pembina  to  the  mouth  of  the  river  in  Lake  Winnipeg, 
and  upon  the  Assinniboin  river,  for  a  distance  of  sixty  miles  Avest  of  its  junc- 
tion with  the  Red  River  at  Fort  Garry,  have  acquired  a  civil  organization,  under 
appointments  of  the  Hudson  Bay  Company,  which  is  officially  designated  as  the 
"Colony  of  Assinuiboia."  LegislatiA^e  and  judicial  authority  is  vested  in  a 
council  representing  the  clergy  and  leading  citizens.  The  officer  in  charge  at 
Fort  Garry  presides  in  council  and  over  the  courts,  and  acts  as  governor  of  the 
colony.  Imports  of  goods,  whether  brought  from  Europe  or  the  United  States, 
are  charged  with  a  duty  of  four  per  centum,  constituting  a  revenue  for  the 
support  of  government.  Land  can  he  purchased  at  seven  shillings  sterling  per 
acre,  with  liberal  credits  and  Ioav  interest — the  Hudson  Bay  Company  holding 
the  relation  of  grantor. 

Religion. — Of  the  population  of  10,000  souls,  fully  one-half  are  under  the 
spiritual  jurisdiction  of  the  Catholic  bishop  of  Saint  13oniface;  the  remainder, 
except  about  one  thousand  Presbyterians,  attend  upon  the  services  of  the  church 


76 


RELATIONS   IJETWEEN    THE    UNITED   HTATES 


of  Kn^luiul.  Tlu!  (lioccpf  of  IluiH'rt'rt  Laiul  is  only  Imuiulcd  on  the  wont 
hy  the  llofky  nionntninf,  on  tlic  north  l»y  tlio  Arctic;  occftn,  and  on  tlir  rast  by 
tin-  liniitH  of  Ciuiada;  itn  hinlio))  i.s  Right  Ucvcn'nd  David  AnderHon,  D.l). 
Between  the  Catholic  and  l'roter*tantmi,>iHionH,  which  reach  the  nm.-t  remote  di«- 
trictH,  and  exert  a  Hiihitary  inHnence  upon  the  native  ))n[tnhition,  then'  are  entab- 
lished  the  niowt  fraternal  rehifions. 

At  Red  River,  almost  within  siglit  of  eacli  other,  are  numerous  parisli  churches 
and  schools,  to  whose  intiuence  a  remarkable  degree  of  intidligcnce  and  morality 
may  be  attributed. 

Education. — A  newsjm[»er,  a  public  library,  nunujrous  and  well-conducted 
schools,  and  the  inHnence  of  cu'*ivated  and  «!ven  scientific  men,  wlio  are  often 
found  in  this  comj)any's  service,  avd  who  usually  retire  at  the  age  of  fifty  years 
witli  liberal  incomes,  fouiuling  families  at  Selkirk,  concur  with  the  ecclesiastical 
organization  to  prodtu'c  a  favorabh;  condition  of  society. 

The  general  appearance  of  tbe  farm.'*  and  tenements  of  the  people  is  identical 
with  the  settlements  of  the  Lower  St.  LuAvrencc  river. 


(  LI.MATIC    ADAPTATION    TO    AORICILTI  UK. 

The  climate  of  the  Red  River  valley  is  characterized  by  extremes  of  tempera- 
ture probably  greater  than  any  other  part  of  the  continent;  while  the  annual 
mean  is  higher  than  that  of  the  same  parallels  of  western  Europe,  including 
some  of  the  best  agricultural  regions  of  that  continent.  The  dift'crence  between 
its  liottcst  and  coldest  months,  as  compared  with  other  climat'  ^  of  great  annual 
range,  will  be  shown  in  the  following  table,  as  also  the  di'  uce  between  the 
mean  winter  and  summer  temperatures  : 


Place. 


Red  Hiver  seltlemont 

Fort  Snelling,  Minnesota. 

Green  Bay,  Wisconsin 

Detroit,  Michigan 

Montreal,  Canada 

Ozenburg,  Russia 


n 

Si 

N 

^^ 

c 
2 
a 

3 
S 
C 

o  Z  'A 
s  x  .a 

s^  o  g 

.'s.a  a 

iflference   bet 
summer  and 
ter. 

V 

< 
0 

o 

Q 

yi 

0 

o 

O        ' 

34.38 

82.15 

74.  Gl 

50  15 

44.  (! 

5H.  7 

54.5 

44  53  1 

44.8 

52.  6 

48.1 

43  31 

47.2 

42.8 

40.8 

42  20 

42.3 

55.7 

51.0 

45  31 

35.6 

6G.38 

59.66 

50  46 

9 

a 


!)3 
89 
82 


10 

28 

58 
73  34 
55     6E. 


It  is  the  excessive  cold  of  the  long  winter  season,  embracing  five  months  of 
the  year  in  this  latitude,  wdiich  reduces  the  annual  mean. 

The  mean  for  the  three  winter  months  of  December,  January,  and  February, 
at  the  Red  River  settlement,  is  6°  85'.  At  Fort  Snelling  it  is  16° ;  at  Green 
Bay,  19°  9';  at  Detroit,  26°  8';  at  Montreal,  16°  3'. 

But  it  must  be  remembered  that  the  Red  River  settUimeut  lies  upon  the  very 
edge  of  this  climatic  belt,  in  close  proximity  to  the  arctic  declivity  of  Hudson 
Bay,  and  is  by  far  the  coldest  part  of  the  whole  basin  of  the  Winnipeg.  The 
climate  grows  rapidly  warmer  on  the  same  parallels  westward,  even  when  there 
is  an  increase  of  elevation. 

It  is  warmer  at  Fort  Benton,  on  the  Missouri,  than  at  Saint  Paul,  Fort  Ben- 
ton being  7^  degrees  of  longitude  west  of  Saint  Paul,  while  it  is  2  J  degrees  ol 
latitude  further  north,  and  1,843  feet  higher  in  relative  elevation. 


AND   NORTHVVKST    MKITIMH    AMEUKA. 


Tf 


10 
28 
58 
34 
6E. 


Tieeu 

very 
lidsou 

The 
Ithcre 

Ben- 


■4  I* 


"The  inouii  winter  tciiiiM-ratiin'  at  Fort  Hniton,"  myt<  Hlodjcctt,  "in  twt'Uty- 
fiv«'  <lrj,'r('('H,  the  mmir  i\k  that  of  Cliicajio,  'ronnito,  All)any,  and  Portland, 
Maine.  At  Saint  I'aul  it  in  l»ut  tiftccn  dof^rccH,  licinj,'  ten  (ic;,'ri'('i<  Iuhh.  It  is  not 
HO  cohl  im  \\i\x  on  the  Houtli  hrani'h  of  the  Saskatclmwan." 

T/ie  Red  Hirer  icinfrr. — \Ir.  Iilo«l{;ett  elainis  that  the  wlnde  SaHkatehew/m 
valley  han  a  climate  very  nearly  «(<  mild  in  its  aniniid  avera;re  a.'  that  of  Saint, 
I'ltiil,  wliich  would  frive  it  a  winter  mean  of  fifteen  de«,'reeH,  and  an  innnal  mean 
of  forty-four  dej^re(  ^,  whieh  reitresentrt  tlie  elimate  of  N\'i.-<ctinf*in,  Xorlliern  Iowa, 
Miclii{;an,  Wentern  Canada,  Nortliern  New  York,  and  S(»utliern  ^'t  \v  Kii^^land. 

But,  though  the  winter  of  this  rej^ion  is  a  period  of  intense  eold,  during;  which 
the  mercury  oft<'n  remains  frozen  for  days  toj^ether,  its  etVect  upon  the  physical 
comfort  is  mil i<;ated  l»y  a  dear,  dry  atmosphere,  such  as  makes  the  winters  of 
Minnesota  the  season  of  animal  and  social  enjoyment.  'I'lu-  hutValo  winter  in 
myriads  on  the  nutritiiuis  ji;rasses  of  its  prairies  up  to  as  hi;j;h  a  latitude  as  Lake 
Athabasca.  The  half-breeds  and  Indians  camp  (uit  in  the  open  i»lain  durinf:^ 
the  Avlud(!  winter  with  no  shelter  but  a  buflalo  skin  tent  and  abundance  of  buf- 
falo robes,  and  the  horses  of  the  settlers  run  at  hirj^e  all  winter  and  ;::row  fat  on 
the  grasses  which  they  pick  up  in  the  woods  and  bottoms.  As  conijiared  with 
Fort  Snelling,  the  winter  (tf  the  Ited  Kiver  settlement  will  Ik;  shown  as  follows, 
including  the  months  of  November  and  ^[arch  iu  tin;  natural  winter  group  : 


Lociilitifs. 

Nuvi'inbei'.   December. 

January. 

FeWruiiry. 

Marcli. 

U((l  River 

0 

21.19              8.31 
31.7               Ki.  9 

0 

10.  &5 
13.7 

0 

1.71 
17.0 

o 
9.9 

Fort  Htielling 

31.4 

Red  River  spring. — Spring  opens  at  nearly  the  sjxme  time  from  Saiiit  Paul  t() 
Lake  Athabasca;  April  and  May  are  the  natural  spring  months  of  this  whole 
climatic  belt.  The  abruptness  of  the  transition  from  winter  to  spring  in  these 
northern  latitudes  is  a  womlerful  feature  of  the  elimate.  In  the  Ited  Itiver  set- 
tlement the  mean  of  March  is  9^  9'.  In  April  it  rises  to  39^  S3',  and  in  ^lay 
to  58°  4G'.     Compare  this  with  the  springs  of  Minnesota  and  AVestern  Canada: 


Loctilitie<i. 

March . 

April. 

May. 

Ued  River 

0 

9.9 
31.4 
23 

o 
39.  83 
4(i.  3 
42.  27 

0 

58.46 

Fort  Soc-llinc 

59 

Toronto -.    ....    ... 

50.  52 

Agricultural  capacity  nf  the  summer  months. — This  rich  upward  swell  of  the 
spring  temperature  is  pnjlonged  through  the  summer  months  of  .Tune,  July, 
and  August,  to  include  the  amplest  measures  of  heat  for  all  agricultural  ])ur- 
poses.  Corn  thrives  well  at  a  mean  temperature  of  sixty-five  degrees  for  the 
summer  months,  requiring,  however,  a  July  mean  of  sixty-seven  degrees. 
AVlieat  requires  a  mean  temperature  of  from  sixty-two  to  sixty-five  degrees  for 
the  two  months  of  July  and  August,  These  two  great  representative  staples  of 
American  agriculture  carry  with  them  the  Avhole  procession  of  useful  flora  that 
characterize  the  northern  belt  of  the  temperate  zone.  Xow  th(»  mean  tempera- 
ture of  Ited  River,  for  the  tliree  summer  months,  is  67°  76',  nearly  three  degi-ees 
of  heat  more  tlian  is  necessary  for  corn,  while  July  has  four  degrees  of  heat 


78 


KKhATlONH    HETWEEN    THE    UNITED   8TATEH 


:    1 


tnorr  thnii  in  r«M|iiinMl  tor  itn  l)<>!<t  (lcv<>lu|iiiH>iit.  'I'li<>  iiinni  of  tlif  two  iiiontlirt 
ot'  .Inly  niid  Aiij^iirtf  in  Kixty-««'vni  <l«'gn'«'H,  live  (Icgrcrrt  above  tin*  rt'qiiin'inont 
of  wIh'jU. 

'VUt'  followinji;  tijrun'H  will  hIiow  at  a  j^lam-t'  the  «'Xcci*h  of  HumiiUT  licat  in  tlir 
Ui>il  UiviT  vulloy  tMM)V<i  til*'  iiu'iifturt'ri  rcipiiml  for  tlit>  l)«<Ht  ngriuultural  ilrvrlop- 
iiit'iit: 

Mt'un  Huniiucr  toimu'rnturo  of  Red  Ilivor <)7.76 

Ut'<|uir(>(l  for  corn C* 

KxrcHH :i.7r) 

Mean  ti'inpcratun'  of  July 71.10 

R)>(|iiir<>4l  tor  com <)7 

KXC«'MM I.IG 

Mean  trinpcraturt'  of  two  montliH  of  July  and  August (57 

llc(iuir<'d  for  wlu'at <)^ 

Kxccrtrt r> 

'V\u'  following  faldc  will  H-rvc  for  i-oinpariMon  Ix-twocn  tin-  .-tuniinn-  tfUipcra- 
turtt*  of  tlin  llt'd  ilivor  with  the  rich  agricultural  clinuitcs  of  thf  south  : 


Local  itieii. 


lloil  River 

Fort  HmllluK 

ChicitKu 

Mu»ciitin<',  Iowa... 
Kt'iiiwha.  V.'i.x'O'isin 
I'tica,  New  iork  .. 
Toronto 


Siimiiicr 

lllt'iiU. 


o 

07.76 
70.6 
(57.  :< 

(>8.  (i 

(i.').  a 

66.5 
03.98 


It  will  tliiiri  be  seen  that  tho  t»uinmor  climate  of  Rod  River  i.-<  wannor  than  that 
of  any  of  tho  localitiori  indicated  in  tho  above  table,  except  Fort  Snolling  and 
Mufcatine,  Iowa;  warmer  than  that  of  Northern  Illinoi.**,  Wef«tern  Wisconfin, 
Northern  New  York,  or  Western  Canada.  Its  Juno  is  warmer  than  in  any  of  the 
points  given,  its  June  and  July  Manner  than  any  except  Fort  Snelling,  while 
its  Augusts  are  cooler  than  any  of  the  rest.  The  last-named  hicality,  in  the 
same  latitude;  as  the  Red  River  settlement,  with  a  corresponding  geographical 
position,  is  its  equivalent  in  annual  mean  temperature  ;  but  the  dift'erence  between 
the  extremes  ot  summer  and  winter  temperature  is  much  loss  in  the  interior 
European  than  in  tlie  American  plain.  No  part  of  the  United  States  has  so 
h)w  an  annual  mean.  Fort  Kent,  Maine,  with  a  mean  of  .'J7',  is  its  nearest  ap- 
proach. 

AtttumH. — The  mean  temperature  for  th«>  antunmal  months  are  as  follows, 
coiMpared  with  Minnesota : 


Localities 

fSepteiuber. 

5?.  2G 
58.1) 

October. 

November 

MeuD. 

Ilea  Rivet.... 

o 

42.  20 
47.1 

o 
21.19 

31.7 

o 
4U.  88 

Fort  Snellini; 

45.  9 

AND    NORTIIWK.^T    HRITIHIC    AMERICA. 


79 


oiin. 

o 
40.88 

45. » 

Novciiihci',  which  in  Miiiiu'Hotii  hrlon^;!*  partly  to  niituinii  aiitl  partly  to  wiiiffr, 
boloni^H  cntirrlv  to  th*;  winter  Ht'iiMon  in  thr  niort'  mtrtlirrn  latituilr  of  Knl  Kivor. 
'J'hc  n-nch-r  will  net'  that  thr  fall  pliniircs  into  winter  alniu^t  as  rapidly  ii>*  the 
Hprin^  nncr^ff'rt  frotn  it. 

I'/imafe  of  thv  Red  Itiiwr  mttlnnvnt  nnitparrd  with  Minnrxofn,  \Vi.sntnxin, 
and  Mir/iltfon. — Tht!  foliowinjf  tahic  will  ilhirttratr  tin- cliniatf  ot'tlif  K<'«1  River 
valley  an  compared  with  other  and  hetter  known  latitndert: 

Tahic  ttfmoiithhf  t/ieann  (tf  Red,  Itirrr  and  MitouHota,  Winntn/tin  and  Mif/iiifUH, 


Months. 


PecftnlHjr.... 

Jiumiiry 

F»!l)ruftry  . . . . 

March 

April 

M»y 

Juiif 

July 

AugUHt 

SnpttMnbt-r ... 

Octolior 

November 


RimI  Ulvur.     Fort  Ku«'llinK-     (Iroea  Hay. 


0 

10.  r>!i 

1.71 

y.  o'j 

39.83 
fiS.  4fi 
(iS).  10 
71.1(i 

12.20 
21.  1!) 


0 

Ifi.  ft 

i;{.  7 

17.  iti 
.')l.4 

4t;.  :i 

6i) 
(i^<.  4 

7:<.4 

70.  1 

.')H.  0 
47.  I 

;m.7 


Dittroit. 


20.  H 

2t}.  g 

i«.  a 

27 

20 

26.  ti 

;<i.;j 

;t5.  4 

43.4 

10.  ;j 

:,!>.  H 

A(! 

02.  2 

05.  (i 

7I..'i 

(ift.  7 

(17.  ft 

ti7.S 

57.2 

(;o 

40. .') 

47.7 

;h.  3 

;jH.  2 

Tabic  shoii'hig  the  metms  of  thv  scuhods  for  thv  ohow  lovalitivs. 


Localities 


Red  Kiver  ... 
Fort  SiiclllDg 
Green  Bay... 
Detroit 


Hummer,       Autumn.    Annual  mean. 


40.  88 

45.9 

46 

4«.7 


o 
M.  ;)8 

44.  0 
44.5 
47.2 


Thurt  it  will  be  (*ecn  that  while  the  winter  curve  in  the  rej^ion  inui»ediately 
Houth  and  west  of  the  great  laken  o.xhibitrt  an  extraordinary  depre(<rtioii,  its  rich 
summer  measures  place  it  in  the  be.'^t  agricultural  belt  of  the  temp(;rat<.'  zone. 

Bountiful  summer  rains. — The  .Sa.skatchewau  valley  is  a  singular  exception 
to  the  almost  universal  sterility  which  characterizes  the  continent  west  of  the 
98th  meridian.  The  great  American  desert  derives  its  l)arrenness  from  the  lack 
of  rain. 

The  Wimiipeg  basin,  on  the  other  hand,  is  abundantly  supplied  with  moisture 
during  the  summer  months,  although  the  dryness  (»f  the  winter  months  reduces 
the  mean  annual  precipitation  below  that  of  points  lying  nearer  the  *>cean. 

No  rain-tablea  nave  ever  been  constructed  for  any  portion  of  this  district,  ex- 
cept for  the  single  year  18-'3.'>,  at  the  Red  Kiver  8(;ttlement.  The  following  table 
exnibits  the  residts  compared  with  Minnesota  ami  Western  Canada : 


80 


RELATIONS   UETV/EEN    THE    UNITED    STATES 
Ram  in  inches. 


Red  River,    i     St.  Paul. 


M0Dtl)8. 


1855 


March - I 

April I 

May i 

June ' 

July 

August 

September - - i 

Octolier I 

Novtiuber .- : 

December I 

.Januf.rv. - - - 

February . | 

I- 

i 
I 


,66 

e.8o 

4 

G 
12 
12.5 

5 
.20 

3.12 
.80 
.60 
.60 


19  yeais. 


1.30 

2.14 

;<.  17 

:i63 

4.11 

3.18 

3.32 

1.35 

1.31 

.  H7 

.7;i 

.52 


Toronto. 


1855. 


1.62 
2.79 
4.78 
4.07 
3.  24 
1.46 
5.9 
2.48 
4.89 
3.80 
1.36 
.97 


52.  17 


25.43 


3(!.  35 


Seasons. 

Means  for  the  seasons. 

I 
[led  River.    1 

i 

St. 

Paul. 

Toronto. 

SDrinir ..................... ........... 

11.  4f 

30, 5     1 
8.32 
1.90 

1 

6.  fil 

10.  92 

5.98 

1.92 

9, 19 

Summer .. ...  .  ...... . 

S.  76 

Autumn  .......... ............ 

13.27 

Winter ... 

5, 13 

By  multiplying  the  figixrcs  lor  Novemlw'r,  Dfceinber,  January,  February,  and 
March  h}  10,  tlic  result  will  show  the  fall  of  snow,  })rol)ably  the  actual  form 
of  the  pr^^cipitation  in  those  nionths. 

The  column  for  Kod  River  exhi'^iiing  the  moisture  of  a  single  year,  cainiot  be 
adopted  as  the  uniform  measure  of  })recij)itatiou  in  that  coxuitry;  but  if,  as 
Blodgf'wt  informs  us,  ii  'ifferencc  of  one-(!ighili  avIII  cover  the  range  of  any  non- 
periotiiC  variations  of  the  raii-fall  in  the  basin  east  '.A'  the  Koch;>  mountains,  (a 
rule  that,  is  confirmed  by  a  compan.-'on  of  the  Toronto  column  for  the  same 
year  ,/ith  the  means  for  f^evcrnl  yt  .irs  given  in  his  work.)  it  may  serve  as  an 
aiiprnxiuiative  iadex  to  the  rain  standard  of  the  country.  The  excessive  rain* 
of  that  summer,  which  has  no  equivalent  oo  the  continent,  except  the  wint<  r 
rain  of  the  Pacific,  is  probably  uuich  beyond  th.-  imiform  iiitan,  or  if,  regard"d 
as  an  approximation  to  a  constant  term,  may  be  accounted  for  by  its  contiguity 
to  Hudson  hay  and  Lake  Suj)erior. 

A  region  liable  to  such  occa-  lonal  rains  cinViOt  cei  tainly  be  deti  "lent  in  mois- 
ture. The  reader  will  observe  tiie  gn-at  preponderance  nf  moisture  iu  the  spring 
jMid  summer  months,  with  the  extrf  lae  dryness  of  winter.  Converttd  into  snow, 
tiie  Avholc  winter  fall  will  be  22  inches,  the  same  as  .it  Saint  l^aui,  while  that  .>f 
Canada  is  (51  in  J:,  s,  and  most  of  the  eastern  State^  120  inches.  This  exlnnie 
lightness  of  tiu'  winter  precipiiation  characterizes  th<  whole  of  the  ])laiji>  east 
d'  the  Jiocky  mountains,  without  reference  to  latitude,  including  the  Haskfuche- 
vvan  vallty,  and  \.-  a  fact  of  <rrei'.t  importance  in  detenniniu'j;  tlie  adaj)tai>ility  of 
those  regions  for  railroads. 


AND    NORTHWEST    BRITISH   AMERICA. 


81 


\Vc  hiivc  11(1  nu'a.-^uiviiK'ntf  of  tlic  local  prfcipitatiou  uf  the  Suskatclicwan 
valley,  but  tln'  }:;(U(>ral  i'at't  of  a  coiiiparativcly  liiiinid  suiiiincr,  with  an  autuinii 
and  winter  of  "XtrciiH'  (Irvncsr^,  ij»  well  ascertained. 

The  rain  measures  in  tin-  elevated  belt  of  country,  includiiif;- the  western  rilope 
of  th(i  Missouri  jilateau,  adjacent  to  the  Saskatchewan  valley  on  the  south,  will 
afford  an  approximative  standard  for  the  latter.  TIk;  tollowinjj;  table,  compiled 
from  .Ulodgott,  will  exhibit  the  rain  fall  in  the  whcde  belt  across  the  continent, 
bctsveen  the  parallels  of  47°  and  oO°: 

Jiai/i  tdlh.,  showing  tin  mean  annual  jirccijtitatiou  hvtivicii  thr  Mth  and  50t?t 

paralld. 

In  V^incouver's  island (i;l     inches. 

Western  slope  (»f  the  Ilocky  mountains JO  " 

Eastern  slope  of  tlx-  Rocky  mountains rio  " 

Missouri  jilateau  to  KKIth  iik  ridian r20  " 

Hetween  Kcd  river  and  lOOth  meridian 20  " 

East  of  Red  river  to  Lake  Erie ?,()  rn:J4  " 

Wei't  of  Lak"  Eri<'  to  the  Atlantic 3G  " 

Mt-an  fall  hij  seasons. 
Winter  full.  Spiing  ftvll.  Summer  tall.  Autuuin  fall. 

•M)  15  8  20 

5  6  6  (i 

4  6  6  4 

2  5  6  4 

2  '>  6  4 

3  to    r>  t;  to  8  10  (i  to  10 

Tj  to   10  f.  to   S  10  10 

A  fail  of  six  inches  is  ^'iveii  liy  Uio(l;;-ett.  i<^  t]i<'  mean  \\>v  the  .-uniMiei'  in  this 
lielt,  lietween  the  J{ocky  niouniains  and  Ited  river.  This  is  anijily  sutlicient  for 
all  the  purjioses  of  luxuriant  ve<;-etation,  as  is  shown  in  southern  P.lnj;'laii'l,  i'russia, 
the  Crimea,  and  interifu-  Russia. 

Ihit  acconliii*;-  to  all  amdogies,  tlie  liii;her  sunmier  teniperature  of  the  Saskatch- 
ewan valley  would  be  accompanied  by  a  correspond  in;.;'  increase  ef  humidity, 
and  this  fact  is  fun  ler  shown  by  the  peinunient  vohiine  of  its  streams  in  the 
summer  iimnths. 


UK.si;i/rs  (iK  .\(iKi<  I  i.ii  HI';  vv  iiku  itiviut  ^K'^TL^:,MK^'r. 

For  all  the  yreat  northern  >ta)iles — nheet,  corn,  nats,  Kirley,  potatoes,  sheep, 
and  cattle — the  nniiije  and  <hir;Ui<Mi  of  tlu'  siimmer  heats  t-irni  the  (l(<'isive  curidi- 
<#*■  lion.     The  (lata  we  havf  furnisli»-d  pro^c  conclusively  th(U'lim;itic  adaptatioii  of 

the  J\((l  Itiver  and  Sask.»tchew!m  valleys  to  succes.<ful  agTiculuirc 

TiKiian  lorn. — Tin  measures  ot  heat,  as  we  have  hefor»  sliown,  are  am^ile 
for  rh(  d(vel;ipmeTi;  of  corn  in  tliis  rtistri<  t.  and,  in  fact,  some  varieties  thrive 
Avell  at  the  Red  River  settiement.  liut  it  is  not  claimed  .as  a  profitable  staple.  It 
is  ( rdtivjited  cliieHy  in  sm.all  j;arden  jiatcLex  for  the  frreen  ears,  but  the  cool 
nijihts  of  Aujj^ust  fre(|Ueiitly  prevent  it>  ripeniuL';,  except  in  the  driest  soils. 
Some  varieties  of  Canadian  corn,  re(|uii'iii_i;  a  <iTowino-  period  of  not  more  than 
seventy  days,  would,  however,  form  a  sure  crrtp  in  Red  ]{iver. 

Indian  corn,  indeed,  accordiu"!;  to  Blodjj:"tt,  is  restricted  as  a  profitable  staj)le 
to  the  middle  region  of  the  west,  between  parallels  of  \'l^  and  43^^. 

W'hrat. — Wheat  is  the  leadhij;-  sta[»le  of  the  upper  belt  of  the  temperate  zone. 
The  range  of  wheat  extends  from  the  borders  to  the  tropics  northward  of  the 
]);iralle!  of  GC  north,  and  requires  a  tninimum  mean  tem])erature  n"  62  '  or  6o^ 
for  the  two  months  of  July  and  August.     The  whole  region  between  the  Red 

II.  Ex.  Doc.  14G G 


82 


RELATIONS    BETWEEN    THE    UNITED    STATES 


I'l: 


river  aiul  tho  Rocky  iiioiuitaiiis  is  ninl)riif('(l  between  tlie  moan  t^umnuM"  tempcr- 
aturet<  of  (55"  and  70^,  wliicli  include  ulf'o  the  niont  fertile  districty  of  New  Eng- 
jjuid,  N»!W  York,  Pennr>ylvHnia,  Micliif:fan,  Wi(»cont»in,  and  Minnewotu. 

Between  these  i.-totheral  linci^,  (^\tended  thronf!;h  thef<^  northwestern  valleys 
to  the  Pacific,  irt  <inhraced  tiie  wheat 'zone  of  the  continent.  "  A  line,'' says 
iJiodfjjett,  "drawn  from  Thunder  hay,  in  Lake  Superior,  northward,  to  tho  Mac- 
kenzie, at  the  (>Oth  parallel,  and  fiom  that  point  .southwetst  to  the  Pacific  coast, 
at  the  ;1.5th,  would  include  an  immen^<e  rcfj^ion  ada))ted  to  wheat,  with  only  tin- 
local  exception  of  mountains  and  Mortldess  soils." 

Richardson  states  that  wheat  is  raised  with  profit  at  Fort  Liard,  latitude!  GO" 
5'  north,  and  Ion<j;itude  12;^^  .'il'  west,  and  100  and  .000  \     »  above  the  sea. 

The  I'emarkable  law  has  been  observed  to  govern  the  development  of  tho 
cultivated  plants,  that  they  yield  the  greatest  product  near  the  northernmost 
limits  of  their  possible  growth. 

'JMiis  principle,  announced  by  Forrey,  is  noticed  by  Blodgett,  as  especially 
applicable  to  wheat.  Central  Russia,  the  Baltic  districts,  the  British  inlands, 
the  ('anadas,  and  the  north(;rn  j»arts  of  New  York  and  Pennsylvania,  and  the 
n|)per  belt  of  the  i;  rthwestern  States  lyiug  upon  the  cold  bordtn-s  of  the  wheat 
range,  are  the  scats  ot  its  maximum  production. 

"  Probably,"  says  Blodgett.  "  the  plains  of  the  Saskatchewan  and  the  Pacific 
coast  near  Puget's  sound  will  furnish  shnilar  districts.  This  a  priori  inference 
is  fully  borne  out  by  facts,  which  prove,  moreover,  that  the  basin  of  the  Winni- 
peg is  the  seat  of  the  greatest  average  wheat  product  on  this  continent,  and 
probably  in  the  world." 

The  limestone  substratum  of  this  region,  with  its  rich,  dee]),  calcareous  loam 
and  retentive  clay  sul».*nil,  is  always  associated  with  a  rich  wheat  development, 
while  its  hot  and  humid  sunuisers  fulfil  all  the  climatological  conditions  of  a  first 
rati'  wheat  country. 

Iiistanrcs  of  the  wheat  proJu(;t  of  [led  Ilni  r. — "  Our  soil,"  says  Donald  Gunn, 
an  intelligent  settler,  "  is  extrem<ly  fertih-,  and  when  well  cultivated  yields  large 
crops  of  the  fin(.'Sf  wheat,  weighing  from  o  1  to  71  pounds  per  imperial  bushel. 
The  yield  per  acre  is  often  as  high  as  sixty  bushels,  and  lias  been  occasionally 
known  to  exceed  tb;it  ;  and  w  hen  the  average  returns  fall  below  forty  bushels  to 
the  acre,  we  are  reafly  to  complain  of  small  returns.  Some  j>iitches  have  been 
known  to  produce  twenty  succr'ssive  crops  of  wheat  without  fallow  or  manure." 

Professor  Hind,  in  his  otficial  rojxtrt  to  the  Canadian  legislature,  sets  the 
.average  product  at  forty  bushels  to  the  acre.  He  notice?  a  product  of  fifty-six 
bushels  to  the  acre  in  the  only  instance  when  a  measurement  was  made.  Wheat 
ripens  in  from  ninety  to  one  hundred  and  five  days.  It  is  entirely  free  from 
insects  or  disease  of  any  kind. 

A  comjjarison  of  the  yield  of  wheat  in  lied  River  with  tln^  best  wheat  dis- 
tricts of  the  United  States  will  show  its  snj)eriority  over  all  others. 

Red  River  produces  40  Imshcls  per  acre. 

Minnesota  ])ro(luce,i  "iO  l»us|iels  per  acre. 

Wisconsin  produces  It  bushels  jter  acre. 

Pennsylvania  produces  ].")  bushels  per  acre. 

Massachnsell,.  jnoduces  J(>  bushels  per  acre. 

Oatt^horlcij,  rije,  potatoes. — The  whole  group  of  sui)ordinate  cereals  folloM' 
wheat,  but  are  less  n  striited  in  their  range,  going  '(wk^  degrees  beyojid  wheat 
in  llie  Mackenzie  valley  to  the  Arctic  circle.  Bail. y  is  a  favorable  alternate  of 
wheat  at  Red  River  and  yields  eiun-mous  returns,  with  a  w<Mglit  per  bushel  of 
from  forty-eight  to  fifty-five  pounds.  Oats  thrive  well.  Potatoes  are  particu- 
larly dist'    •'fished  for  their  excellent  *|uality  and  large  yii  Id. 

Hay-       /lie  grasses,"  says  Forrey.  ■■  are  pniveriiially   in   perfection  only  in 


i 


AND   NORTHWEST    URITISH    AMERICA. 


83 


northern  and  cool  rcf^'ionj*.     It  is  in  tlie  nortli  .ilonc  tliar  we  raise  animals  Croui 
meadows,  and  arc  enalded  to  keejt  flieni  tat  and  in  {jood  condition  with  jri'iiin." 

In  none  of  the  prairie  districts  of  North  America  are  the  native  f^rasses  so 
ahundant  and  nntritious  as  in  these  northern  valleys.  This  is  snfHciently  proved 
hy  tlu^  conntless  herds  of  Hntlalo  that  pasture  throufi'hont  the  year  upon  its 
plains,  even  \\]>  to  the  latitude  of  J'e.-ice  river — a  fact  which  sn<rfrests  an  equiva- 
lent capacity  for  the  herdinj:'  of  domestic  cattle. 

The  l{ed  Kiver  colony  in  1S.5()  c(»ntained  !).i.O;{h(»rne(l  cattle  and  ::i,71)l>  horses, 
which,  in  a  settlement  m  (i.^'^-'J  souls,  exhihits  a  remarkalde  proporticm  of  stock. 
Horses  roam  durinji'  the  sunnner  and  winter  throuf^h  the  woods,  and  keep  fat 
without  housing;  or  hay.  The  unlimited  pastoral  ranj^es  atiovtlfd  hy  the  grassy 
savannas  of  Red  Kiver,  with  its  dry  winter  climate,  seem  •  -upjily  favorable, 
conditions  for  successful  sheep  husbandry.  This  is  contivnieil  tty  Donald  (Junn 
"  Our  climate  and  soil,"  he  says,  "are  peculiarly  adapt' -]  to  sheep.  There  are 
twenty-eight  yc.irs  since  their  introduction  into  the  si^ttlement,  and  J  have  never 
seen  nor  heard  of  any  sickness  attacking  them.  Well-fed  ewes  produc(;  tleeces 
varying  from  two  to  three  and  a  half  jtounds.  Wethers  produce  tleeces  much 
heavier.  The  wool  is  of  good  (|Uality,  though  not  very  fine."  An  inferior 
breed  of  sheep  would  not  be  likely  to  produce  fine  wool. 


lUllT  IV 


THE    GOLD    DISCOVEKIES   OF 


NORTHWEST    IMilTISH    AMEHICA 
INFLL'ENCJOS. 


ANO    THEHl 


I  had  proposed  under  tliis  head  to  collate  the  evidences  of  extraordinary  au- 
riferous wealth  in  British  Columbia,  but  as  the  sunnner  of  ISG'i  may  greatly 
enhirge  the  public  knowledge  on  this  subject,  I  oidy  annex  a  general  statement 
of  present  developments. 

'J'he  discoveries  of  1858,  hi  tlie  lower  channel  of  Frazer  river,  have  lu'en 
|)ushed  to  the  headwaters  of  the  stream,  becoming  more  remarkable  in  the 
remote  interior,  close  uji  to  tin;  central  range  <jf  the  Rocky  mountains.  This 
district,  which  now  attracts  so  nuich  attention,  is  known  as  the  "  Cariboo  Dig- 
gings," and  is  being  identified  upon  the  eastern  flank  of  the  mountains,  from 
which  issue  the  sources  of  the  Saskatchewan  ;  upon  tlie  ]*eace  river,  before  it 
passes  thi'ough  the  Jiiain  chain  from  the  Pacific  slope,  and  even  as  far  nortli  as 
latitude  57°,  in  the  rear  of  the  Russian  jiossessions  of  the  coast,  gold  fields  are 
known  to  exist  nearer  the  international  boundary,  particularly  on  the  upper 
Columbia  and  its  tributaries  ;  but  the  bulk  of  testimouy  is,  tliat  the  most  extra- 
ordinary discoveries  are  north  of  latitude  5^°  and  in  the  average  longitude  of 
120°  west  of  Greenwich. 

Making  every  allowance  for  interested  and  exaggerated  statements,  there  re- 
main grounds  for  the  beliefth.it  the  individual  adventurer,  Avith  no  other  capital 
than  his  h^bor,  has  a  gri'ater  chance  of  succ<ss  in  Northwest  America  than  in  any 
other  auriferous  district  of  the  world,  ilc.'iice,  the  exodus  of  population  to  the 
mines  of  British  Columbia  from  all  parts  of  the  I'aeific  coast.  'J'he  pn-ges  of 
the  Rocky  mountains  far  north  of  tlie  parallel  of  49°  will  be  speedily  occupied, 
and  commercial  ridations  established  eastwardly  along  the  wati'r-lines  of  the 
Saskatchewan  and  the  Red  River  of  the  North  with  the  navigation  of  the  Missis- 
sippi river  and  J^ake  Suj)erior. 

With  such  an  extension  of  population  to  the  interior  of  Northwest  British 
America,  the  coast  and  archipelago  of  islands  in  the  -'i\n\e  latitude  ami  (|uite  to 
the  north  of  Vancouver's  i-^laud  will  also  be  enlniiized.  Already  explorations 
of  Queen  (!harlotte's  islands  an'  in  progress,  and  the  Sacranieiilo  ol  the  ("ariboo 
mines — the  point  of  most  ready  supply  from   the  T'acific  coast — i^'  likely  to  be 


RELATIONS    BETWEEN   THE    UNITED    STATES 


|: 


((stiiblishod  at  tlio  head  of  Buto'.s  inlet,  from  which  a  trail  piirHUcs  tlu;  old  route 
of  dificovcry  by  Sir  Aloxaiuh'r  MuckciiJiie. 

Nor  will  the  infiuencc  of  thene  northern  ^old  dis^coveriet*  be  limited  to  the 
foregoin}>  rewultH,  over  the  area  deseribed  at  lenfjth  in  the  fore;j;oin}jf  i)a;i;e.»<,  an 
constitutinjif  the  arable  areas  of  Northwest  Uritish  iVmerica.  IMie  centre  of  min- 
ing activity,  as  now  ascertained,  vergew  upon  the  valley  of  tht;  Mackenzie;  river, 
a  f<tream  sequestered  from  the  world  by  its  .irctic  .situation,  but  navigable  from 
the  I'acific  o(  can  through  IJehring's  straits  and  the  adjacent  open  J*olar  sea  for 
an  equal  period,  as  European  navigators  are  accustomed  to  fre(|uent  Spitsbergen. 
Even  in  Kussian  America,  tlu;  Yoncan,  which  falls  into  Behring's  sea  south  of  the 
straits  of  that  name,  is  a  river  of  magnificent  projtortions.  So  far  as  th(i  fur 
trade  and  mineral  Avealth  of  the  arctic  district  of  Northwijst  America  need  ave- 
nues to  tlie  markets  of  the  world,  they  are  thus  sui»plied. 

My  conclusion  is,  tliat,  under  the  potential  influence  of  gold,  great  social  aud 
industrial  chang(!S  are  soon  to  occur  in  Northwest  Britisii  America,  influencing 
most  materially  the  interests  of  the  United  States  in  that  direction. 


p. 

I 


PART  V. 

RELATIONS  OF  NORTHWES'J'  BRITISH  AMERICA  TO  THE  IGNITED  STATES. 

For  the  present  the  relations  in  (juestion  are  almost  e'xclusi\ely  geograi)hical, 
and  sncli  is  the  tenor  of  the  present  exposition,  liut,  from  physical  soon  re- 
sults commercial  and  political  geography,  and  the  nature  of  the  latter  may  be 
anticipated. 

Central  liritish  America,  with  its  immense  capacity  for  the  production  of  grain 
and  cattle,  has  hithei'to  been  apjiroached  by  three  routes — through  Hudson's 
bay,  by  Lake  Superior,  and  over  the  plains  northwest  of  Saint  Pan!,  Minnesota. 
The  last  named,  with  the  aid  of  steamboat  navigation  on  the  Red  River  of  the 
North,  is  now  admitted  to  be  the  most  convenient  route.  The  Hudson  Ray 
Company  have  mostly  relinquished  the  two  former  in  favor  of  the  American 
communication. 

The  communication  through  Hudson  bay  is  of  dangerous  navigation,  is  lim- 
ited to  a  brief  season  of  the  year,  and  is  obstructed  by  the  necessity  of  numerous 
and  difficult  portages.  The  same  remark  applies,  although  not  so  fully,  to  the 
route  tlirough  Lake  Supcn-ior  and  thence  to  Fort  Garry. 

Ry  the  Minnesota  route,  soon  to  consist  of  railway  to  the  Red  river,  and 
ste)un<;rs  by  Lake  Winnipeg  and  the  Saskatchewan  to  the  Rocky  mountains,  a 
gi'eat  natural  highway  exists,  so  advantageous  in  all  respects  as  to  suggest  an 
apprehension  among  English  writers  that  the  destiny  of  the  Selkirk  and  Sas- 
katchewan district  is  indissoluble  from  the  Mississippi  States. 

In  18C2  the  railway  system  of  the  United  States  terminates  at  La  Crosse,  in 
the  State  of  Wisconsin.  Thence  steam  navigation  to  Saint  Paul,  land  trans- 
portation for  250  miles  to  freorgetown,  on  the  Red  river,  and  steam  navigation 
to  Fort  Garry,  are  the  present  improved  methods  of  transit.  Beyond  the  Sel- 
kirk settlements  the  oared  bateau  and  the  wooden  ca)'t  ot  the  fur-trader  are  the 
rude  resources  of  the  inhabitants.  But  with  the  g(dd  movement  to  the  sources 
of  the  Saskatcliewan,  a  new  state  of  things  is  at  hand.  Steamers  once  placed 
on  Lake  Winnipeg  and  the  Saskatcluiw^an,  an  emigrant  can  make  the  journey 
from  Toronto,  in  Canada,  to  the  Cariboo  mines  of  British  Columbia  in  thirty 
days,  and  at  l(>ss  expense  than  is  noAv  requirtnl  for  the  journ«'y  iidaiid  from  the 
mouth  of  Frazer  river  to  the  Cariboo  country. 

A  London  company  is  already  organized  to  establish  this  overland  route,  but 
the  overland  emigration  from  Canada  and  the  northwestern  States  to  the  district 
in  question  ia  sufficient  in  volume  to  warrant  the  construction  of  the  requisite 
steamers  for  the  season  of  1863. 


A.\D    NORTHWEST    BRITISH    A^fERrCA.  85 

the  limits  of  .uivi..at  on     /        An.       •*''•  l''*"^""'^;:"'"  "f  a  wo,.kIy  until    from 

ti~;;tr:^f ';;;:^;it^^^       >-;■-. ...,  ...h......  o.. 

bond  of  j„,u,-.     VVI.v  n..t  d Narm  f  r.:  ^'■'"*  '"''"•"*'  '^'^'''^'  ■"'  '■ff''ctiv,. 

inultiplicuion  of  suc'r  ti  •    •,    f  ",1I       ^^''"^  J'.*'-'>"f'<''-  "f  Mh-  north  l,y  c-onstant 
eodinj,^  ,.xhil,it  of   V    ,r  n  ;,       r  ''  I'    •"^•""'^fi"'"^"  concord  ?     'I'ho  ,uv- 

adjacent  and  lK>mo^Mmn>u.connmLZ,/       ?"'"  *"   /'""  *"*'"'^  ••^'lation.s  of 
iiiterct  and  f,n,od  uill.         "^""""»'ti<.-.s  npou  a  hnn  u.ul  lasting  basis  of  natural 

Honorable  S.  P.  CfHA-SK,  JAMES  W.  TAYLOR. 

Secrctan/ of  f/J  Tr('asur>/. 


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